Full Circle
by ncislove
Summary: The wheel of fortune has completed its circuit and Gibbs' past has returned to him. Gibbs/Shannon, Gibbs/Abby. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

A little nervous about this one… I know a lot of people have their own thoughts on what Shannon is like, so I apologize if she isn't written how you see her. Writing Shannon/Kelly alive was something I said I would never do, but this bunny just wouldn't let go. This takes place once all the drama in Mexico has settled down.

_**Chapter One **_

_Everything hurt. From her nose down to the tips of her toes, her entire body hurt. There was a dull ache in the base of her skull, and as her eyelids fluttered against the harsh light, her first words were, "My daughter!"_

"_Relax ma'am, the doctors have been taking good care of her. They expect her to wake up soon."_

"_We… we were in the car and then… then… I don't remember." As her vision cleared she saw a man she didn't recognize leaning over her._

"_Shh, it's okay. You were in a car wreck, you and your daughter. The doctors expect you'll both make a full recovery."_

"_Who are you?"_

"_Thomas King, FBI. I'm here to keep you safe."_

_She nodded. "What happened?" Closing her eyes she remembered being in a car with her daughter, her husband nowhere in sight. She had been telling her daughter something, something important and then… nothing. "My husband?"_

"_We need to talk about some things -" Thomas was interrupted by a plump nurse who entered, bustling around the room._

"_Wonderful to see you're awake finally. Once the doctor looks you over, we'll see about taking you to visit your daughter. She's not awake yet, but the poor girl needs her mother." The nurse noted her blood pressure and fiddled with the IV bag hanging by the bed. She hung the chart back in its place and then headed for the door. "Alright, Ms. Darby Stanchfield, the doctor will be in shortly."_

"_That's not my name." _

_Thomas hurried the nurse out and shut the door before turning to face her. "It is now."_

Gibbs sank down into the chair behind his desk with a sigh. He had spent two weeks in Mexico and was glad to be back – glad everything was over. Several people had died over the course of the past three weeks, starting with Merton Bell. Franks had lost a finger, though he didn't seem overly concerned about it; he still had his girls. Gibbs had taken every precaution when it came to the people he cared about, setting Abby up with a security guard, putting his mother-in-law under surveillance (without her knowledge, he didn't need to drag her into his mess unless absolutely necessary), and sending Fornell up to Stillwater. The Reynosa drug cartel had suffered far worse casualties; both Alejandro and his sister Paloma met a similar fate as their father, the rest of the members of the cartel that hadn't met the business end of NCIS guns were rounded up by the FBI.

Although they made it back relatively unscathed, it wasn't over. Not quite. They had all been through hell over the past few weeks, but it was Abby had gone through the worst of it. It made his heart swell as well as his stomach churn when it came to how loyal she was to him. On one hand, he was flattered, but at the same time he worried. But there was nothing he could do; she would do anything for her. Whether he wanted her to or not.

_Anyone else, she had told him on the flight home. Anyone else and I would have stepped back and watched from the sidelines. Anyone but you._

"We need to talk," he told her.

Her eyes darkened, concern washing over her features.

"About us." He linked his fingers with hers and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

They held hands the rest of the bumpy flight home. He had waited until the rest of the team scattered, agreeing to meet up at the office later in the afternoon to wrap up the paperwork, before pulling Abby into his arms. He'd pressed his lips to her cheek before nuzzling against her ear. "I owe you, Abby."

He felt the shiver as it ran down her spine.

"You owe me nothing, Gibbs." Her arms had tightened around him, nearly crushing the air from his lungs.

Gibbs smiled at the thought and leaned back in his chair. He did owe Abby, not just for taking a risk with both her career and her life over the past few weeks, but also for being there for him at the worst of times. She always knew the perfect time to show up, sitting quietly on his basement steps, letting him approach rather than pushing him to talk too soon.

He needed to do something special for her, make sure she knew exactly just how thankful he was to have her and how much he… he couldn't say the rest of that statement out loud, not yet, not even to himself. He was tired of keeping her at arm's length to keep her safe. Life was too short and if the past few weeks had taught him anything, it was that distancing himself was no guarantee for anyone's safety, including hers.

Gibbs glanced around the squad room at his team. They were working diligently, no doubt wanting to get home as early as possible. It was Monday, and although Vance had given them the week off of active duty, the paperwork for several cases had piled up and they had been instructed to come in at ten the following morning to get started on it. Just as he was about to open his mouth to send his team home, his desk phone rang.

"Yeah, Gibbs…" He listened a brief moment and then hung up.

"Boss?" Tony started to reach for his bag with one hand.

"Just the Director. Why don't you all head home? You could use the rest." He watched as they grabbed their stuff and rushed for the elevator before they could be called back. Once they were out of ear shot, he said a quiet thank you; although they had all volunteered to get involved with his problem, he owed them as well.

Gibbs headed toward the Director's office, taking the steps two at a time. He saw Vance waiting just outside the door to MTAC . "I've got FBI Agent Thomas King wanting to do a video call with you alone. Do I have something to worry about?" He slipped a toothpick between his lips.

"I don't know a Thomas King. He say what he wanted?"

"No, just said he wanted to talk to you alone. I have a conference call with the LA office in 30 minutes, so you'd better be done by then. Hetty complains if I'm late. You know how she is."

"I'm sure this won't take long." He didn't bother waiting for a response.

Gibbs passed Sean, the communications technician, on his way in. "The call is already connected, sir. I'll be waiting just outside. Let me know when you are finished."

Gibbs nodded and continued down the walkway to the center of the room, eyeing the large screen as he approached.

"Agent Gibbs, I presume?"

"And you are?" Gibbs couldn't recall having met the man, though he appeared to be about his own age, maybe a year or two older. His hair was similarly peppered with grey and Gibbs noticed the lines on the others man's face, the years had obviously taken its toll. It looked as though King was making his call from a house, his own perhaps, and Gibbs wondered why an agent would have such a connection from his own home.

"Thomas King, FBI."

"Thomas King, what can I do for you?"

"I work with people relocated to the Pacific Northwest in the Witness Protection Program. I've got to say in my 25 years with the FBI, I've never had the pleasure to make a phone call like this before."

Gibbs shifted, visibly annoyed that Agent King was dancing around the point he was trying to make. Gibbs was tired and all he wanted to do was go to the lab, get Abby and get out of there. "And this involves me?" He'd never sent anyone into Witness Protection for more than a week or two, always going from safe-house to safe-house, never being completely relocated.

"You might want to take a seat."

Gibbs crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm good where I am." Agent King was beginning to remind him of the reasons behind his policy of general dislike for the Bureau. They never got the point, they always had to put on a damn show.

King shifted in his seat. "In 1992 I was assigned two witnesses who saw a shooting involving several key members of a drug cartel out of Mexico. Both were severely injured in a car – are you okay?"

The last comment came just as Gibbs backed up until his legs hit a chair and then sat down hard. His gut twisting painfully, but he was unwilling to let himself jump to any conclusions. He motioned with a shaky hand. "Fine. Continue."

"Where was I? Oh, right. They were critically injured in a car wreck when the driver was hit and killed. I've been keeping up with the events in Mexico the past few weeks and after consulting with the rest of the team, we decided it would be safe to pull the witnesses out of the program. Agent Gibbs, your wife and daughter are coming home."

Gibbs was ready to laugh, convinced it was someone's sick idea of a joke. But suddenly he was bombarded by memories of the explosion back in the Gulf. Waking up to find out about the loss of his wife and daughter. Their funeral. Mexico. Pulling the trigger in the name of justice.

"Agent Gibbs?"

"I don't follow. My wife and d-daughter are dead."

"No, your wife and daughter have been living in a suburb of Portland, Oregon the past 18 years. I have been their contact the past 18 years." Thomas pulled off his glasses and leaned forward, concern clearly written on his face. "After your wife stepped forward as a witness to the shooting, a threat was made against both her and your daughter. They were being driven to a safe house when their driver was shot from a distance. It was a miracle that they survived. You were in a coma over in the Gulf when we tried to contact you. We didn't have the time to wait, so we got going on their new identities and airlifted them to Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center in Portland."

"No." Gibbs shook his head. "Who put you up to this? Fornell? This is low, even for him." Gibbs stood, his body trembling with anger.

"I assure you, no one is playing a trick on you. I put them on a flight to D.C. this morning. They landed just over an hour ago. Your wife is waiting on a phone call from me. She would like to see you."

Gibbs nodded, still unwilling to believe Agent King. "And Kelly?"

"She would like to see you as well, but your wife would like to see you alone first. If you haven't got any plans, she would like to see you tonight."

"No plans."

"You address?"

"Hasn't changed."

"I will let her know. She will drop by this evening. Oh, I should let you know, she's gone by the name Darby Stanchfield. We changed your daughter's name to Cathy, but she continued to go by the name Kelly." King gave a sad smile. "Strong-willed girl." With a curt nod, Agent King stood and suddenly the screen went to static.

Gibbs stared at the screen a moment longer, his feet unwilling to move. Still unable to believe that Shannon and Kelly were alive, he wondered who was out to toy with him this time around.

He steeled his face as he left MTAC, ignoring Sean on his way out.

"Agent Gibbs," Vance rounded the corner. "Anything I should know about?"

"No." He continued down the stairs and around to the back elevator. As soon as the metal doors slit shut, he flicked the emergency switch, causing the elevator to come to a grinding halt. The breaks on the elevator reminded him of the train back in Stillwater as it came to a halt at the station the last time he had ridden it – in 1976, the first time he'd spoken to Shannon.

Gibbs snapped out of the memory and could hear his own heart about to pound through his chest. He knew he had to relax. Abby would notice in 30 seconds if he didn't, he was certain. Once he felt he could pull a mask of calm over his face he flipped the emergency stop switch again. That agonizing hope still threatened to worm it's way in his gut but he refused to believe Shannon and Kelly were still alive after all these years. Shannon would have tried to contact him, he was sure of it.

He paused for a moment to watch Abby in the lab. She wasn't dancing to the usual noise she called music, instead swaying to something much calmer. Given the most recent drama, he wasn't surprised. But as long as she was moving, he wasn't concerned.

"Gibbs?" Her voice snapped him from his thoughts.

His smile genuine, he moved forward. Her voice always put him at ease, even if only for a moment. He stepped up to her, pulling her into a hug. "You almost done down here?"

"Yeah, just finishing up."

He pressed his nose to her hair, inhaling the sharp scent of gun powder mixed with rose.

"_Guns N' Roses, Abbs?"_

"_Wow, Gibbs, pop culture. I'm impressed."_

"I want you to go home and get a good night's sleep. You've hardly slept the past few –ah – " he silenced her, sliding his thumb across her lower lip. "You've hardly slept. I need you to get some rest. We'll have our talk, Abbs. Don't worry."

Abby gave a weak smile, pushing away the thoughts of the last time he had silenced her with a finger to her lips. She had her argument ready, but against him it was no use. "Is everything okay?" She looked up at him, her eyes wide with concern - he was so different compared to the last time she had seen him, just hours before. The tension was once again visible in his shoulders.

_Damn._ Leave it to Abby to see right through him. "I've just got a few things to take care of."

"And you're exhausted." She brushed the back of her hand against his cheek. "I'm not the only one who hasn't been sleeping."

Gibbs rolled his eyes, a guilty smirk on his lips. "Go home, Abbs."

"Okay, but if I can't sleep?"

"Sleep." He cupped her face in his hands and pressed a lingering kiss to her lips, savoring the sensation before pulling away.

"Okay." It came out in a soft whisper and Gibbs' heart broke a little with the disappointment in her voice.

"Good." He kissed her one last time before tearing himself away. Any longer with Abby and he wasn't sure he could walk away – even if he'd gotten a crazy call about his late wife and daughter.

After everything they'd been through the past few weeks, he hated to lie to her – and he wasn't going to pretend she would see his omission as anything else but a lie, but he had to assess the possibility of a threat before he let her get involved.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Abby brought her fingers to her lips as she watched him go. Something was wrong, but his dizzying kiss had effectively distracted her from pinpointing exactly what it was. She chewed nervously on her lip as she picked up around the lab and switched off her machines for the night. His kiss had been reassuring, but at the same time she couldn't help but worry that he had changed his mind and just needed the extra time to come up with a way to let her down gently.

With Bert snuggly place on the shelf above her computer and her lab coat hung by the door, Abby grabbed her stuff and headed for her car. She sat behind the wheel a few moments, unsure of where to go. Although exhausted, she wasn't ready to head home and Gibbs had made it clear he didn't want to spend the evening with her. Checking that the latest forensic journal was in her bag, she headed for her favorite coffee shop – the one with the faux fireplace and the big cozy chairs. The one that conveniently sold Caf-Pow! as well.

She was second in line at the counter behind a young woman with wavy brown hair. Abby gazed up at the menu, scanning for any additions, even though she knew what she wanted.

"What can I get started for you?" One of the baristas caught her attention.

"Caf-Pow! please."

"What size, mini or regular?"

Abby was irritated at the mere thought of a Mini-Pow! "Regular."

The woman in front of her turned with her coffee, not realizing Abby was right behind her. Although she managed to pull up just in time to keep from completely running into Abby, some of her coffee sloshed out of the cup and on to Abby's arm and shirt. "Oh my gosh, I didn't see you!" She set her coffee on the counter and grabbed handful of napkins. "I'm so-"

"No need to apologize, it was an accident." Abby smiled and accepted the napkins, wiping the coffee from her arm and then soaking it up from her shirt. It wasn't the worst thing she'd ever had spilled on her. "Really, it's no big deal."

"But still, let me pay for your drink. You ordered a Caf-Pow! right?" The woman handed her a few more napkins. "There is a table right there. Why don't you have a seat, I'll bring your drink over."

At the woman's persistence, Abby moved over to the table and sat down. She watched as the woman paid for her Caf-Pow!, shoved an extra dollar in the tip jar, and then brought both of their drinks over.

"Again, I'm so sorry. I'm just a bit jittery today."

"And the coffee will help?" Abby smiled. The woman was obviously worked up about something and she didn't want to add to the stress. The coffee hadn't even been that hot.

"Yeah, the coffee keeps me sane."

Abby laughed; such a Gibbs thing to say. "I guess I'm the same way when it comes to Caf-Pow! Why are you so jittery?" She couldn't help but ask.

"I'm Kelly by the way. And, well, I'm hopefully going to see my dad tonight. For the first time in nearly 20 years."

Abby's eyes widened. "Wow! Oh, I'm Abby. But wow, you haven't seen your dad in almost 20 years? Then I can understand why you've got the jitters."

"Yeah, my mom is talking to him first and then, assuming he wants to see me," Kelly shrugged. "I'll see him."

"Why haven't you seen him?"

"It's a long and complicated story."

"Ah. Well, way to make my problems seem like a drop in the hat."

A look of concern flashed across Kelly's face. Her eyes were bright blue and Abby found that she couldn't quite look away. "What's your problem?"

"There is this guy… it's always a guy, isn't it?" Abby leaned back in the chair. "It's probably nothing."

Kelly grinned. "It is always a guy. What's wrong with yours?"

"See that's just it. I don't know if he's mine. We've been friends forever and there has been a lot of," she shifted her gaze down to her drink. "A lot of drama lately. We've always been close but after everything, I think we're even closer. We're supposed to talk about what we are and what's happening, but then suddenly he came down to my lab and said he had some _stuff _to get done and that he couldn't see me tonight. Which, I mean, it's fine, but there was something different. Something happened. Sorry, I babble."

"You really love him, don't you?" Kelly wrapped her hands around her coffee and looked at Abby with a soft smile. "I can see it on your face."

"Yeah, I do. I have since the first time we met, I think. But… it's up to him, I guess." Abby shrugged. "Whatever happens...happens."

"Has he given any sign that he's not interested?"

"I… I don't think so, but he's pretty closed off. He's been through a lot and has had his heart smashed to pieces. He knows I'd never hurt him, but I think he's scared he'll hurt me. But I know he won't."

"You've got it bad, girl. What is he like?"

"Oh I – oh, no. I don't have a photo of him on my new phone yet. I call him my silver fox. There is a bit of an age difference, but not as much as people assume when they see us. Sorry, I don't mean to unload all of this on you."

"I don't mind, it's keeping me from thinking about my dad, and you seem like you could use someone to talk to."

"I normally talk to him about all my issues. He's a good listener and lets me babble on until I've got it all out. But… and I can't talk to my friends at work either. He's our boss. Well, their boss, not really mine. I mean, I do what he needs, but technically he isn't my boss, I don't think."

"Work-place romance? Isn't there some sort of rule about that?" Kelly teased.

Abby laughed. "You have no idea, but sometimes rules are meant to be broken."

"Very true. I've done my fair share of rule breaking over the years."

"A rebel, I like it. You've had the whole work-place romance?"

Kelly shrugged. "We didn't work together, but in the same building. I broke up with him, but he doesn't quite get it. It's part of why I hope things with my dad go well. I'd like to move back to the area. I mean, I'm 26, I don't need my _daddy_ to take care of me, but it would be nice to have him be in my life again."

"Oh, is he like a stalker, the guy you're talking about? I've had a few of those."

"Wait, you've had a real stalker? My guy back home, he isn't that bad. I think he just thinks that he can win me back. Believe me, he can't."

"Be careful, even if you think he's harmless. My ex was stalking me, luckily my fox rescued me, but afterwards they found a suicide note he'd written and then signed my name." Abby reached across the table and grabbed Kelly's hand. "From one woman to another, don't let it go too far if you think he can't let go. I never thought he would hurt me and now he's behind bars for plotting my death."

Kelly's eyes grew wide. "I'm speechless."

"Just be careful."

"Oh, yeah," she nodded. They were both quiet a moment as they sipped their drinks. "So, I don't mean to be rude, so feel free to say no, but can I see the tattoo on your neck?"

Abby laughed. "Sure." She pulled her braid back and angled her neck.

"That's so cool! It must have hurt."

"Yeah, but not as bad as a few of my others did." Abby took mental inventory of all her tattoos. "You have any?"

"I always wanted a tattoo, but my mom wouldn't let me. Then, once I turned 18 we got in a huge fight and I went out and got one without her knowing. I think it was over a month before I had the guts to show her."

"I think I got my first tattoo when I was 15. My mom wasn't impressed, but she figured that it was better than some of the other things my friends were into at the time."

The two women chatted on, jumping from subject to subject - pausing only for a moment when Abby went to get them refills on their drinks. As they continued to talk, an elderly woman passed them, muttering something about Abby's distasteful appearance.

"Doesn't that bother you?"

"Nah. She doesn't know that I've got more degrees than the three of her grandchildren combined and that I bowl with the nuns from St. Mary on Wednesday. I'm not the devil-worshipper she wants to think I am."

"You bowl with nuns?"

"Mmhmm," Abby nodded before sipping from her drink. "Sister Rosita, you have to see it to believe it. She's absolutely amazing."

Kelly opened her mouth to reply, but before any words were formed, her phone started to ring. She looked at the caller I.D. and looked up at Abby, her eyes wide, a semi-fearful look on her face. "It's my mom."

"Answer it!" Abby encouraged. When it seemed as though Kelly was frozen, Abby leaned across the table, plucked the phone from her hands and accepted the call before pressing the phone to Kelly's ear. The coffee shop was too noisy for Abby to hear the other side of the conversation so she tried to make sense of the expression on Kelly's face.

"Okay… yeah. I can do that… yes. Okay." Kelly ended the call without a goodbye. "My dad. He wants to see me." A huge grin broke out across her face.

"Go! Hurry!" Abby waved her away. "Have fun."

"I will!" Kelly jumped up and grabbed her purse. She tossed her coffee in the trash and was almost to the door when she stopped and turned back to Abby. "Your guy, he'd be crazy not to want a relationship with you. Good luck."

"Thanks." Abby watched as Kelly hailed a cab out front and then pulled the journal from her bag. After two Caf-Pow!s she wasn't quite ready to go home yet.

The moment he arrived home and was safely inside his living room, Gibbs was on the phone with Fornell.

Yes, Agent Thomas King worked for the FBI.

Yes, he was involved with the witness protection program.

Yes there had been a Darby and Cathy Staunchfield on a flight from Portland to D.C.

"I can't access the file that has copies of their passports or drivers licenses. You might want to see what Abby can do. Not that I suggest or support you hacking the FBI, but I know a few laws won't hold you back. If they really are people exiting the witness protection program, it could take upwards of three weeks for me to get a hold of their information," Fornell said.

Gibbs sighed.

"What is all this for? Your director might have better connections to get what you need."

"Never mind."

"Alright, oh, and Jethro?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad we didn't lose you in Mexico."

"Try not to sound too overjoyed, Tobias." Gibbs couldn't contain a small smirk.

"Bastard."

They both hung up. Gibbs paced the carpet in the entryway, then the living room, eventually ending up in the basement, and for the first time in several years he was completely unsure of what to do. All of his training told him someone was toying with him and if that were true, he had no idea who this person was or what they wanted. The NCIS agent in him wanted to call Tony and Ziva to come over and send McGee to Abby under the pretense of computer something or other – just in case. He'd nearly lost her in Mexico and he wasn't going to go through that again. He'd lost enough to Mexican criminals already.

But there was something else. Although his gut was screaming, for once it wasn't telling him he was in danger. He still wasn't really willing to allow himself the possibility that it might be true. They might still be alive. The let-down from that was something he didn't want to go through. Waking up from the dreams was hard enough. He had seen the mangled car. There was no way they could have come out alive.

Gibbs was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't hear the car pull up outside, nor did he hear the soft knock on his door. He continued to run the sander in long, firm strokes along the planks of wood he was using to make his newest boat_, The Abigail_. Ever since Abby had to take apart _The Kelly_, she'd been weary of going near anything in the basement. The guilt of having to take apart his most precious boat weighed heavily on her no matter how much he reassured her. He had painted the simple black letters of her name towards the beginning; keeping it covered just in case she dropped by. He'd nearly showed it to her when she had come to him after finding out about Pedro Hernandez, but he decided he wanted to wait until it was finished.

He didn't hear the floor boards creaking overhead, but at his thoughts slowed, he heard the basement door creak and he dropped a hand to the gun on his work bench.

"Jethro?"

TBC…

The reviews have been lovely, thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Jethro?"

Gibbs' head snapped up at the sound of his name. It was too dark to see her face, but there was something familiar in her movements as she made her way down the stairs. Once her feet hit the basement floor she stopped. "I should have known you'd be down here. Some things never change."

Now that she was down under the light he could see her. His heart stopped beating for a brief moment and he froze. It was Shannon – he had no doubt.

She looked older and there were lines around her eyes, the past 18 years having taken its toll on her, as they had him. But she was still beautiful. Her hair was still a lustrous red, likely with a little help from a bottle.

His mouth hung open a little as he looked her over – his heart deciding it was really her long before his mind caught up. "Shan- Shannon?" His voice caught in his throat, her name coming out in a choked sob.

She nodded and moved forward. She had appeared calm and collected when she made her way down the stairs, but as she moved across the basement, he could see her lower lip trembling and he saw a large tear well up and spill over to roll down her cheek.

As soon as she was within reach he brought his fingers to her cheeks, catching the tears before they got far. He traced her features, felt the familiar slope of her cheek bones, and ran his fingers through her hair. "You're real?"

She didn't answer, instead closing the gap between them, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her face to his chest. The moment she heard the ragged breath accompanying his tears, she knew there was no point in holding back her own.

They stood together for nearly ten minutes as they worked through the tears that spilled.

Gibbs ran his hands along her back, up and down her arms, still afraid he was just moments from waking up from this near-perfect dream. "Where…?"

"Portland." Her answer was muffled against his chest.

"Why? Why didn't you… you could have called… written… something to let me know." His voice was strained as he struggled through, desperate to understand why they'd been torn apart for so long.

Shannon pulled back. "After the crash it took three weeks for Kelly to wake up again. It took me two. If they… if Pedro Hernandez found out we were still alive…? I couldn't do that to our baby."

"I killed him!"

"I know," she nodded. "I recently found out." She hadn't been surprised to find out that he had killed the person he had thought killer her and their child.

He cupped her face in his hands. "I could have disappeared with you. I would have given up everything to be with you."

"Jethro, you were in an explosion just the day before we were in the crash. With you in a coma and then us, the FBI made the decision for us. Said it was easier that way, that if you suddenly disappeared, they would know we were still alive and come looking for us. I couldn't… Jethro, I couldn't risk her life like that."

Suddenly it dawned on him that Kelly hadn't come down to the basement and he paled. "Kelly. Where is she?" _My baby, my little girl_. Gibbs felt as though a hand was squeezing his heart in his chest. He stumbled over his next words. "Does she want to see me?"_ Does she blame me for not being around, for not saving you?_

"Oh yes, she's not far. I told her I was going to talk to you first and then, when you were up to seeing her, I would call her and she would get a cab here." Shannon grabbed his hands. "And before you ask, of course she remembers you. She remembers having the best daddy in the world. She remembers being your little princess. Growing up, she was very good about keeping quiet about you and our life before, but when it was just the two of us, we spoke of you often."

Gibbs' jaw tensed as he fought the tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks once more. His baby, his little girl... "Call her. Please."

"Okay, but let's go upstairs. You know I never liked it down here. I never understood how you and Kelly could spend so much time down here with all the dust." She took his hand again and let him toward the stairs. "She's a lot like you. You should know that."

Upstairs, Shannon picked up her purse where she'd left it on the table and dug for her cell phone.

Gibbs watched as she made the call, memorizing the way her lips moved as she spoke. He tried to listen to hear Kelly's voice, but the call was over before he could make out the sound.

"Ten, maybe fifteen minutes." She slipped her phone back in her purse and then followed Gibbs to the living room where they sat together on the couch. They sat close, holding hands as they chatted, talking about simple things, not wanting to say too much before Kelly arrived. Shannon was mid-sentence when Gibbs leaned forward to kiss her softly, murmuring how much he missed her before pulling back.

Before either of them could say anything, they heard the sound of a car pull up, idle as a door opened and then closed, and then pull away.

"That's probably her." Shannon stood and walked to the door.

Gibbs hung back as she opened the door and stepped out. Kelly had been only eight the last time he'd seen her. He'd often wondered what she would have looked like as an adult, if she would have gone through an awkward phase like he had, or if she'd grown up gracefully like Shannon.

He wondered if she was nervous about seeing him again. Shannon had said they talked about him, but 18 years was a long time and he wasn't so sure that she would remember him.

Kelly paused when she shut the car door and turned to face the house. It looked the same as it did in her dreams. There were just a few extra weeds in the flowerbeds, and it could definitely use a fresh coat of paint.

Just as she reached the front step, the door opened and her mom stepped out.

"Sweetheart…" Shannon gave her a reassuring smile and reached out her hand.

Kelly ignored the outstretched hand. "Where's dad?" She'd waited 18 years for this moment, she wasn't about to waste an extra minute or let it be some long, drawn out affair. She'd told the tattooed woman at the coffee shop that she didn't need him to protect her, but she did need him.

"Inside. He's waiting for you."

"Is he… mad?" Her hands clenched into fists at her side. Eighteen years was a long time to stay away, and it wouldn't have been difficult for her to send some sort of message to her father. She'd dreamt of it often.

"No. No, he isn't mad."

Kelly didn't need to hear anything else. She took a deep breath and walked past her mom.

Any doubts on whether or not she was really his daughter flew out the window the moment she stepped inside.

He was standing a few feet back from the door and her first thought was that although he looked older, he was exactly the same as she remembered. The one family photo Shannon had kept in her purse had finally fallen apart after years of carrying it. She had a brief moment of déjà vu, only their roles were reversed. She remembered waiting for him in the exactly spot where he stood when he returned from training camp. Her mom had made her wait until he was in the house before she could attack him with hugs and kisses.

Snapping out of her memories, Kelly watched as a range of emotions played across his face before she heard her name in a soft whisper.

"Daddy." She stepped forward, slowly at first, but then she was on auto-pilot and the next thing she knew, she was tucked safely in his arms. After 18 years, all was right with the world again.

Once the tears stopped – his and hers – Gibbs pulled back to get a better look at his daughter. Although slightly red from crying, her eyes were a vibrant blue like his and her hair matched his in his younger days. But the rest of her appearance was all Shannon. It had been hard to tell who she would take after when she was younger, and he thought she looked more like mixture of both of their moms.

Gibbs glanced over at Shannon as she waited just off to the side, a wide smile on her face. He waved her over, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into the hug. He watched as she pressed her lips to their daughter's temple and then turned to him and kissed him softly.

He was first to pull out of the embrace, his focus returning to his daughter. He tilted Kelly's face so she was looking at him. "Look at you. You're so beautiful."

"Thanks… Dad." Kelly grinned at him before burrowing back into his arms.

Gibbs' eyes welled up at being called dad, but this time he was able to blink them away before the tears could fall.

"Jethro, let's sit. You must have so many questions…"

Gibbs led them both by the hand over to the couch so they could sit. "I… I don't understand why…"

"I'm not sure I even understand. Let's save those questions for Tom."

"Tom?"

"Thomas King, our contact in the FBI. He had a few things to wrap up, but he'll be flying out in a day or two."

"You could have come to me." He would have given up everything to disappear with his family.

"I used to dream that you would come and rescue us." Kelly went and grabbed her purse from where she had dropped it just inside the door. She pulled out a small Strawberry Shortcake doll. "I carried this with me everywhere I went until I was thirteen. Do you remember it? You gave it to me before you left for your deployment. I dreamed that you would come and get mom and I. We would run into the woods and you would build us a house and we'd be together forever."

Gibbs took the small doll in his shaking hands.

"_I got this for you, babygirl. Whenever you miss me, you give her a hug, like this." He hugged the small doll to his chest. "And then you'll remember how much I love you and want to hug you." He handed the doll to Kelly and then pulled her into a tight hug. "Daddy loves you."_

"_I love you too daddy. Come home soon."_

"I would have come for you, I swear. If I had known…"

"I know. I don't blame you, I never did." There was no point in mentioning the phase in her early teens where she blamed her mother for everything they'd been through. But they had worked through that long ago.

"How did you get this?" Gibbs hugged the old doll and then handed it back.

"The EMTs said it was in my hands, so they brought it with to the hospital."

It was nearly midnight before their conversation began to lull. They had ordered a pizza and sat around the table talking, telling stories from the past 18 years.

"We should get going." Shannon stood after noting the time.

"No! This is your house. Kelly's room is…" He was almost embarrassed to say it. "It's the same. I will put clean sheets on. I will change the sheets on my bed too. You can sleep there," he directed at Shannon. "I will take the couch."

"Jethro…"

"No, mom, it's okay. I'll take the rental back to the hotel and get our stuff. I want to stay."

Gibbs stood on the front step and watched as his daughter pulled away, disappearing down the street.

"She'll come back."

"I just don't want to take my eyes off her." Gibbs stepped back inside.

"I understand."

They headed upstairs together and Shannon felt a pang of guilt when they went into Kelly's childhood room and she realized nothing had changed. "You didn't remarry?"

"I did, a few times." Suddenly Gibbs felt a wave a guilt wash over him. "They were cheap replacements."

"After all these years, you never fell in love with anyone else?" She efficiently stripped the bed and began tucking the clean sheets in place.

At first his thoughts went to Jenny, the first time he'd truly fallen in love with someone after Shannon had _died._ He had loved her, but she chose the job over him. And then there was Abby. He knew he loved her, didn't he?

"You're in love with someone now, aren't you?"

"I… think… I don't know." He couldn't tell what he felt about anyone at the moment.

"Don't worry." She gave him a soft smile and reached out to run a finger along his cheek. "It's okay."

Gibbs hung around downstairs, giving them their privacy as they got ready for bed. He waited until he was certain Kelly was asleep before heading up. He pushed on the door, opening it slowly until he could see her curled in her bed.

"Come to bed, Jethro. She'll be there in the morning."

"I recall telling you the same thing many years ago." Gibbs pulled the door shut and moved over toward Shannon, following her to the bedroom.

"You did," she smiled. "Several times. She was our miracle baby."

"God, I've missed you." The more they talked about the past, the closer he felt to crying. "Missed you so much."

"I'm here now," she murmured against his lips. "I'm here."

Gibbs was still unsure if everything was real or if it was the cruelest dream. If it was a dream, he was determined to make the best of his before he woke up and drank himself into oblivion under the boat.

TBC…

Aww, Gibbs… got his girls back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four**

"Good morning, my queen of darkness." Tony strode into the lab just after ten, a Caf-Pow! in his hands. "You got anything running this morning?"

"Hi Tony, you look well rested." She winked suggestively at him. "I've got a DNA match running on Agent Johnson's case, but otherwise today will be spent swabbing the deck." She made a sweeping motion with her hands.

"Ah, well, since Gibbs took the day off, I thought I'd bring your morning Caf-Pow! before you went weak from lack of caffeine."

"Aww, Tony – wait, what? Gibbs…?"

"He took the day off. The director said he called in this morning."

"Tony!"

Tony ducked his head at the shrill of her voice. "What?"

"When was the last time Gibbs took time off?"

"Uhh…"

"Exactly." Abby ignored the Caf-Pow! on her desk and grabbed her purse and keys. "Tell Johnson that I should be back before anything pops up, but McGee knows how to work my babies so if something does pop up, have McGee look."

"Where are you going?"

"Making sure Gibbs doesn't do anything stupid," she called back over her shoulder as she hurried from the lab.

Abby worked her way through a variety of emotions during the 17 minutes it took to get to Gibbs' house. She was scared – scared he had taken the day off so he wouldn't have to be around her. Then her thoughts turned to Mexico. _What if he's leaving again? What if this time he can't even say goodbye so he's taken the day off to pack what he needs and then leave…_ Abby stepped down harder on the gas pedal.

She let out a sigh of relief when she pulled into his driveway and saw his car out front. _At least he hasn't left yet._

Steeling herself for whatever she was about to find, she rushed up to the front step and pushed the door open. She glanced around the living room and was slightly comforted by the fact that it looked the same as always. No tell-tale packing boxes. "Gibbs!"

"Ab-"

Her hands automatically went to her hips as she zeroed in on his voice coming from the dining room and moved forward. "If you think you can slink off to Mexico again to drink yourself into a stupor with Franks, then you-" She rounded the corner and froze.

There was a stack of photo albums on the dining table and Gibbs was sitting between two women, a pretty red-head on his right and… "Kelly?"

"Abby?"

Gibbs looked back and forth from Kelly to Abby and back again. "You two… you know each other?"

"I, um, yeah, we met yesterday at the coffee shop when I was waiting for mom to call." Kelly recovered enough to answer. "I spilled my coffee on her by accident and we got to talking and…" Her eyes widened as she remembered their conversation and then realized that her dad was likely Abby's silver fox.

"I… I shouldn't be here." Abby started to back up slowly, not quite understanding, but somehow knowing who the women were.

"Abby, wait." This wasn't how he'd wanted to tell her.

"No really, I need to go. I've got some… some tests running for Johnson and I know McGee can check, but Major Mass Spec has been acting up lately and you know he doesn't play well with others. I just want to make sure… well, you're okay, so I'm… yeah, bye." She turned and rushed out the door, not pausing to look back when she heard Gibbs' footsteps behind her.

She managed to keep her face void of any emotion until she had driven around the corner and pulled off on the side of the road.

Her eyes burned as the tears welled up and she struggled not to cry over something, or someone, that had never belonged to her in the first place. As her sobs turned to an occasional hiccup she slowly relaxed and eventually the tightness in her chest dissipated. She didn't understand how they were still alive (and she was determined to do a DNA test, just in case), but it occurred to her that the one thing she wanted most had happened.

Gibbs was happy.

_And not just, 'good work, Abbs' happy, _she mused. He had looked well rested, the lines on his face had softened and the look of sadness that was always visible in his eyes was gone.

She gave herself a little pep talk before pulling back out onto the street and heading for NCIS. Avoiding the squad room, she headed for Autopsy. "Hi, Ducky."

"Abigail," he looked her over. "You look as though you've seen a ghost."

"Two, actually." She shrugged and hoped he'd assume it was something to do with a dream.

"Oh?"

"But that's not why I'm here." _Lie number one._ "I was just thinking, and well, I was wondering if you had sometime the evening? With all the stuff in Mexico," _lie number two,_ "I could just use a cup of tea and some time to relax with good company. That is, if you and Dr. Hampton don't already have plans?"

"Dr. Hampton is in Boston visiting her sister, but even if she wasn't, I've always got time for you, my dear. The past few weeks have been hard on everyone."

"Thanks Ducky, I'll bring us something to eat."

"Nonsense. We could both use some home cooking. I'll have something ready. See you at six."

Gibbs watched as realization and then shock washed over Abby's face the moment she rounded the corner. He hadn't yet thought of how to tell her - he still had questions of his own - but having her walk in to see them sitting around the table as a family wasn't what he had in mind.

"Abby, wait."

In typical Abby fashion, her words bled into one another as she made a hurried excuse to leave.

He followed as far as the front door and then watched as she got into her car and drove away.

"Was that…? Who was that, Jethro?" Shannon asked, leaning against the door frame. Her voice was low and full of concern. "She looked upset."

"That was Abby, we work together at NCIS. She's my forensic scientist." He tried to ignore the fact that he had called her _his_. "I never take time off; she was probably worried that something had happened."

"Has something happened?"

"Long story," his shoulders tensed. "I left NCIS for a few months without warning." Gibbs shook his head and looked one last time down the street. "She didn't take it very well and after everything that just happened…"

"You should go after her, dad." Kelly whispered.

Gibbs nodded, but stepped back inside and shut the door. "I need to go to NCIS."

"You think she'll tell everyone at NCIS?" Shannon asked. They didn't need to hide anymore, but she worried none-the-less. Old habits die hard.

"No." Gibbs shook her head. "She'd never tell, but if people suspect something is bothering her, they will hound her to find out what's wrong. She doesn't deserve that. And my team, they need to know."

"Can we come?" Kelly looked hopeful. "If you'd rather we didn't, I understand."

He thought a moment and then nodded. "You can come." He figured it would keep Tony from circling the neighborhood trying to catch a glimpse of either Shannon or Kelly later in the day.

It took just over an hour for them to clean up, get to NCIS and get both Shannon and Kelly a visitors pass.

Tony was in the middle of launching a paper airplane when the elevator doors opened and Gibbs stepped out.

"Boss!" Both Tony and McGee were quick to push their supply of paper planes into the trash. "Didn't think you were coming in today."

"I see that."

"So, uh…" Tony looked from Shannon to Kelly and back to Shannon. "Boss?"

"Call Ducky and Abby. I want you all in conference room one in five minutes."

"On it, Boss." Tony smiled at Kelly as he reached for the phone. "Hi."

"DiNozzo!"

"Making the calls!"

Gibbs led Shannon and Kelly up the stairs, past the conference room to the director's office. He didn't want to give the director a long, drawn out explanation, but at the same time, Vance needed to know. He gave the basic details of what he knew, made quick introductions, and then, when Shannon and Kelly stepped out, he asked Vance to use his connections to get as much information as possible on the case and FBI agent Thomas King.

Vance gave a slight nod and slipped a toothpick between his lips, signaling that their conversation was over.

Gibbs found his girls waiting just outside, Shannon chatting politely with the Director's secretary. "Come on. I want you to meet my team." He led them down the hall to conference room one where his team was waiting along with Ducky and Abby.

As expected, Tony and McGee were busy speculating on who the women were. Gibbs wasn't certain, but he was fairly sure he heard Tony say something about the younger one maybe being single. He made a mental note to head-slap DiNozzo into next week the next time he had a chance.

Ziva, sitting beside the boys, was doing her best to ignore their childish behavior and chatting quietly with Ducky. Abby was quiet, though the expression on her face gave nothing away that she knew what was about to happen.

When Gibbs spoke, his team quieted and sat up a little straighter at the strain of emotion in his voice. He was determined to hold himself together in front of his team, but it was obvious, even to him, that he sounded as though he was on the verge of breaking.

"… and this is my daughter, Kelly."

Abby watched as he struggled to find the right words to explain the arrival of Shannon and Kelly, and all she could think of was pulling him into a hug. But that wasn't her job anymore. It was weird and a little scary to see Gibbs, her hero, her rock, her… to see him so emotional was unnerving, even if he was happy. She drifted in and out of what he was saying, wondering if he was going to get a DNA test, and if things would change at work. She wondered what he would say to her when they were alone and had the chance to have the talk she was now dreading.

She was pulled from her reverie when she realized everyone was standing up to introduce themselves to Shannon and Kelly and have a little one-on-one conversation. Ducky was the first to approach Shannon and Tony jumped up immediately to introduce himself to Kelly, earning a head slap in the process.

Abby waited behind the others, still slightly embarrassed from intruding on their moment that morning. She could feel Gibbs' eyes on her and in order to avoid meeting his gaze, she kept her eyes trained on McGee as he introduced himself to Kelly. She could sense Gibbs approach before he moved into her line of sight.

"Abbs?"

She chewed nervously on her lower lip to keep a tearful apology from slipping out; she knew how much he hated to hear _I'm sorry_.

"Abby," his warm hand wrapped around her upper arm and he turned her slightly to face him. "I should have-"

The door to conference room one opened and Vance stepped in. "Miss Sciuto, Agent Johnson is sending in two sets of finger prints, DNA and a blood sample. Should be in your lab by the time you get there."

"I'm on my way." She gave Gibbs an apologetic smile and then stepped out, thankful for the excuse. She hurried down to her lab, wiping at the stray tear that threatened to fall. She arrived at the same time as Agent Cole, who had Johnson's evidence in hand. She signed the necessary forms and set to work loading the DNA and scanning the prints, thankful for the comfort of the familiar routine.

With her music turned up to her preferred level, she quickly fell into her lab routine, bouncing from one machine to the next. The Caf-Pow! Tony had delivered that morning had gone flat, so she tossed it, a sad look on her face as the red liquid circled the drain.

She was surprised when she looked at the clock and it had been almost an hour since she had left everyone upstairs. She assumed that meant Gibbs had taken Shannon and Kelly home rather than follow her down to the lab. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Gibbs (she always wanted to see Gibbs), but she needed time to sort through her thoughts before they talked.

"Abbs?"

She clearly needed to work on her Gibbs-o-meter.

She turned to see him holding a fresh Caf-Pow!

"We would have been down a bit sooner, but I figured Johnson didn't know that a Caf-Pow! should accompany new evidence."

Abby tried not to smile, she really did, but she couldn't help it. "Especially if he wants a rush on the results. Not that I'm easy or anything." She quickly regretted the last few words the minute they came out. Her eyes darted to Shannon and Kelly who stood a few steps back. "I mean, not that you would think I'm easy."

"No one thinks you're easy." He set her drink on her desk. "You left before I could introduce you."

"Oh, uh, right. Work." She shrugged, but then stepped forward and held out her hand to Shannon. "I'm Abby. I'm the forensic scientist here at NCIS. This is my domain." She waved her hand back, gesturing at the lab.

"Pleasure to meet you, Abby, I'm Shannon." She glanced around the lab. "This place looks amazing, nothing like on the criminal shows on TV."

Abby perked up at that comment. "That's because they do nothing right. They don't follow procedure, they do tests out of order, and the turn-around time for many of those tests is at least double what they imply on the show. It's absolutely ridiculous, but yet so addicting to watch, I just can't… sorry."

"Don't be sorry."

Abby turned to Gibbs, a smirk on her lips. "I now know where you got _that_ rule."

Gibbs opened his mouth to reply, but Kelly cut him off. "It's good to see you again."

"You too." Abby was unsure if Kelly had mentioned any of their conversation. "I… I don't know why I didn't recognize you. You've got his eyes."

Kelly blushed. "Thank you."

"So yeah, uh, sorry about this morning. I should have called," she turned to Gibbs. "I just, Tony said you took the day off and you _never_ take the day off, and with Mexico, I just…" Her shoulders slumped. "I should have knocked."

"Hey," Gibbs stepped up and curled his fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at him. "You've never knocked. And you never will. We clear?"

"No. No, I think I've learned my lesson."

Before he could answer, Abby's computer dinged and she was spinning away from him. He followed her to the computer, waving both Shannon and Kelly further into the lab. Her fingers flew across the keyboard and suddenly she clapped her hands together and jumped up and down, her pigtails hitting Gibbs in the nose. "Perfect match. I swear, even when it isn't your case, you always knew when I'm about to get something!" She gave brief details on the finger prints and how they matched up exactly. "Just perfect."

"Good work, Abbs."

Abby held up her hand to stop him from kissing her cheek. "Not your case, Gibbs. Not your line."

Both Shannon and Kelly noticed the flash of hurt that crossed Gibbs' face, glancing at each other as Abby turned back to the computer, brushing off his praise. "I should probably get back to work," Abby hinted. Gibbs was confused by her back and forth between trying to avoid him and his look, to being almost normal with him. _Almost._

"We still need to talk. Come over tonight."

"I don't know when I'll be done and I…" If she said she was going to Ducky's, she wasn't sure if he would try to talk her into coming over to his house instead or if he'd show up at Ducky's. "I don't know."

Kelly was about to second the invite to come over, but she was interrupted when a tall, no-nonsense sort of guy walked in, two men following closely behind.

"You have my results yet?" He demanded.

Abby rolled her eyes and turned back to the computer to give the results. Gibbs stepped forward, blocking Johnson's path. He didn't say anything, but the look he gave Johnson said more than enough.

"So, the prints you gave me…"

Gibbs followed Shannon and Kelly out of the lab, glancing back over his shoulder to see Abby hurrying through the results as Johnson tapped his foot impatiently.

Kelly watched the way her father easily invaded Abby's personal bubble, tilted her face to his, and she was convinced there would have been a kiss had she and her mother not been there. She watched as Abby bounced happily at whatever she had found, her pigtails hitting her dad in the nose. He looked amused and listened attentively as she rattled off something about loops and whirls on the fingerprints and gave herself a pat on the back for finding results so quickly.

Their bodies were nearly touching as Gibbs leaned in to give praise on her work, something he must have done often since Abby anticipated his move, stopping him before he could kiss her cheek.

TBC…

The reviews and pm's have been lovely, I thank you all. I apologize for not getting back to you individually, but I've had some other stuff going on and figured you'd rather have the chapter. More soon. ^^


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Abby pulled up to Ducky's house five minutes before six and was greeted by a small pack of corgis , their small stump tails wagging as they soaked up the attention that she lavished on each one before heading up the front steps.

"Abigail, my dear." The look on his face suggested Ducky now knew why she had wanted to spend some time with him, though he didn't mention it as he ushered her inside and took her jacket. Ducky was, if nothing else, ever the gracious host. "I've just taken the roast out of the oven. Dinner will be ready shortly."

"Smells wonderful."

She wasn't surprised to see the table set elegantly as though she would have expected for a dinner party for 20, even though there were only 2 plates set out. During dinner Abby was grateful that Gibbs' name never came up. Between the two of them they had enough stories to keep each other entertained for hours without even the mention of work. Afterward, Abby stowed the leftovers while Ducky loaded the dishes into the dishwasher.

They moved out to the living room, Ducky bringing a tray with tea and cookies. "It certainly has been a rough few weeks, hasn't it?"

"That's an understatement." She wanted to say she wished she'd never gone to Mexico in the first place, but if she hadn't gone, Gibbs wouldn't have his girls back. "Big news today, huh?" There was no avoiding it, so she might as well get it out of the way.

"I am still in shock about the news. I can only imagine what Jethro must be going through. It seems there are still so many unanswered questions." Ducky poured them each a cup of tea. "You didn't seem so shocked this morning."

There it was. He knew.

"I already knew."

"For how long?"

"No no… I mean, I knew, but I didn't _know_. Tony said he had taken the day off and Gibbs never takes the day off. I was worried so I went over there and… and I saw them."

"Oh. I see. What did he say?"

"Nothing. I walked in and I… I didn't stay."

"And that's why you came to talk to me about tonight?"

Abby nodded.

Duck read her nervousness like a book."You'll need to talk to him eventually. You know he would have told you first, before everyone else, if he'd gotten the chance. I suspect he came to tell the rest of us so that you didn't have to carry that secret around."

"He doesn't owe me a special explanation, Ducky."

"There is something going on between the two of you."

"Ducky-"

"If the two of you have figured it out or not, I don't know. But otherwise, why did you leave work to check on him this morning?"

"I was worried! Ducky, we all worry about him. He never takes time off of work."

"They why did you leave without saying anything?"

"I didn't want to interrupt their _moment_ anymore than I already had_._"

"And then at work? You left before you introduced yourself."

Sometimes he could read her too well. "The director came in; I had important evidence to get started on in my lab. I met Kelly the day before… before I knew who she was. I'm sure Gibbs filled them in on who I am."

"I see," Ducky sipped his tea.

"See!" Abby sat back with a smug grin. "We're just friends. I was just shocked and… yeah." Her grin slowly faded.

"So you've _almost_ convinced yourself then? Because I believe none of it." Abby's gaze dropped and Ducky watched as she all but admitted defeat. "You've always been close, but with the way the case in Mexico up-ended nearly everyone, something changed between you."

Abby shrugged. She knew she could talk to Ducky and that he wouldn't go back and tell Gibbs everything she'd said. "We… we were going to talk, last night, about us. But then he came down and told me that I should go home and get some sleep. Then he kissed me and told me we'd talk later."

"And here you are, avoiding that conversation?"

"Yeah," she tried to play it off like it was no big deal. "It's not a conversation we need to have. I understand."

"Why is that?"

"He's got Shannon back. He won't give her up again, and I don't want him to. He's happy, Ducky, for the first time in 18 years." Abby offered a sad smile.

"Abby," Ducky set his tea down and sat forward to grasp her hands. "You make him happy too. I'm not saying he'll walk away from Shannon, but don't underestimate how much you mean to him."

"Yeah." Her reply didn't sound as confident as she had hoped it would.

"I think he would have walked away from NCIS a long time ago, had it not been for you."

"No, he already walked away once. I tried to stop him." Abby glanced around hoping to find some way to change the topic. Mercifully, Ducky took the hint.

"She looks like him, has his eyes, doesn't she?"

"I don't know how I didn't recognize her." Abby yawned and settled further into the couch. "She was just like him when I talked to her. There are so many similarities. It's funny to imagine someone else so… so Gibbs-like."

Ducky noticed her yawn and smiled. "The guest bed is made up, if you'd like to stay."

"No, I think I'll head home. A night in my coffin sounds relaxing." She stood and put her tea back on the tray. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ducky. Thanks for dinner."

"And thank you for the company. We really should do this more often."

"Maybe when Dr. Hampton gets back, you two can come bowling with me again."

"I'm sure Jordan would love to, but I may have to sit out."

Abby smiled and put her arm around him as he escorted her to the front door. "Aw, Ducky. She didn't beat you by _that_ much."

"Enough that my fragile ego is still recovering." He winked at her. "Drive safely, my dear."

"I will, thanks again."

Ducky watched as she drove down his driveway. "Come on, old boy," Ducky looked down at one of the dogs that had followed him out. "We've got a quick call to make before we can retire for the evening." After locking up, Ducky grabbed his phone and dialed.

Gibbs hadn't wanted to leave the lab, but Johnson had a case to wrap up, and it was obvious that Abby was uneasy at the prospect of being alone with him. And that hurt. It hurt that Abby, of all people, was uncomfortable around him. She had always had complete faith in him, even when she'd found out that he had killed Pedro Hernandez, she hadn't balked, only asked how she could help.

He wasn't sure what would happen between Shannon and himself. Could they go back to what they had before? Would they start over - date and get to know each other all over again? Was that what he even wanted?

He needed to talk to Abby, but he had no idea what to say.

"Tell me about her."

Gibbs smiled at Shannon as she sat beside him on the couch. "Who?"

"Abby. She's obviously an important part of your life. I'd like to know about her." She tried to sound as non-threatening as possible. She didn't want him to get defensive over his relationship with Abby –whatever it was – and shut down. He had gotten agitated when she'd asked about his ex-wives, and she didn't want a repeat of that conversation. She genuinely wanted to know about Abby.

Gibbs thought for a moment. "She's my forensic scientist."

Shannon held back a smile when he referred to her as _his_ forensic scientist for the second time.

"We've worked together for nearly ten years and she's probably been the one thing that lasted longest in my life since…. The whole team, they've been my family."

"What about Jackson? Or my mother?"

"Your mother always blamed me for taking you away from Stillwater. I saw her a few months ago. She's doing well. You should visit her soon."

"I will. And Jack?"

No easy way to put it. "I shut him out of my life after your funeral."

Shannon's smile faded and she reached out to touch his arm. "Jethro, no…."

"A case brought us to Stillwater nearly two years ago. We've been working things out."

"I want to see him, and I'm certain Kelly will want to see him as well. She doesn't have many memories of him, but she's got a few of being in the store. He still has it?"

"Of course. The day he gives up the store is the day he dies. He's got some help now for a few hours here and there. But he loves it." Gibbs pulled her into his side. "But tell me more about the past 18 years. How did Kelly do in school? Did she play any sports? You never… remarried?"

"I couldn't. No one except Tom knew I wasn't Darby and I couldn't live a lie with someone I loved. So I didn't let myself."

"Tom. Was he around much?" He couldn't help the flair of jealousy. He knew he had no right to feel jealous, Tom had only been doing his job. But it was a strange man who had made the decision that Gibbs would no longer have a family.

"Every couple of months. Kelly didn't like him at first, but he knew she missed having a father. He tried to time his visits so he could be there to cheer for her at a soccer game, or be a familiar face for music recitals and graduation." Shannon felt him tense beside her. "He didn't replace you as a father, if that's what you're thinking. It was just nice to have another familiar face in the crowd."

"I should have been there." It suddenly dawned on him that Kelly hadn't come in. "Where is she?"

"Going through all the stuff in her room. She's amazed that you kept everything."

"I couldn't let go…." Gibbs shrugged. He had promised Stephanie that he would turn it into a nursery for their child, but she had never managed to get pregnant. Gibbs had been unsure if he was relieved at not having to change the room or disappointed at not having a second chance at being a father.

"What time will Abby be here?"

Gibbs' head snapped up and he saw Kelly leaning against the door frame. He hadn't heard her come down the stairs. "I don't know that she will."

"Why not?" She circled around in front of the couch. "You invited her, she said she'd try."

"Johnson's team is close to having all their evidence in a row to make an arrest. I'm not sure she'll leave her lab tonight." He could tell Kelly was worried that Abby was avoiding them because of her and her mom. He was worried for the same reason, but Kelly didn't need to know that.

Kelly nodded, though she didn't look satisfied with his answer. "Can I go to the basement?" She was still weary of wandering around the house that had once been her home.

"Of course." He waited a few minutes and then, with a nod from Shannon, he followed her down. Gibbs sat on the bottom step and watched as she moved around, touching the various tools laying around, and then leaded against the half-covered shell of the boat he was building.

"Some of my favorite memories are from us building stuff down here."

Gibbs smiled.

"Well, you building stuff, me pestering you and blowing saw dust everywhere." Kelly laughed.

"You were helping."

"Something like that." She shifted uneasily against the boat. "What happened to the boat we, well you, were building?"

"I got drunk and burned it." No point in lying.

"You make any others, or is this it?" she gestured to the boat she was leaning against.

"There were others. Burned all but one, she was named after you. I sent her to my god-daughter in Mexico."

Kelly's eyes widened. "Is this one headed for the same fate? The burn pile?"

Gibbs hoped not. "No."

"Because you named her after Abby?"

Gibbs didn't hide the look of surprise that flashed across his face.

"Lucky guess," Kelly smiled shyly. "You had the same look on your face when I asked if you were going to burn this boat as when you had to leave Abby with that other agent - the rude one."

Gibbs stood and walked over, pulling the heavy drop cloth from the back half of the boat, revealing _Abigail_ painted in large, elegant black letters.

"She know?"

"No."

"Mom and I sure picked the perfect time to come back, didn't we? Things were just about to happen between you and Abby, weren't they?" Kelly sighed heavily.

"Kel…."

"We didn't mean to come and disrupt your life. I… I want you in my life, but I should have waited. I made mom hop on the first flight out here. She wanted to think things through, but I couldn't wait. I'm really sorry, dad. If I had known…"

"Shh." Gibbs gathered his daughter into his arms. "I've missed you so much, both of you. I'm glad you came to me as soon as you did. I don't want to lose another minute with you." He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head and hugged her tighter.

"Will you just call her? I feel really uneasy about everything."

"You too, huh?"

"You always told me to go with my gut." She pulled back enough to smile at him. "I mean, I don't feel like anything bad has happened, but," Kelly shrugged, "she cares about you a lot and our arrival has really freaked her out."

"Why does it bother you so much?"

"The way you were around her, the way you look at her. You completely avoided mom's questions."

"You were spying."

"Maybe. But mom wanted to know more about _her_, we already know she's the scientist, we want to know who she is to you."

That was something he'd like to know, too. "Kelly…."

"Fine, just call her, okay? She looked so sad when she walked in this morning."

"I'll call."

"Good." Kelly hugged him once last time and then left him to make his call.

Gibbs pulled out his cell and hit the speed dial number assigned to Abby. As expected she didn't answer. He waited until he heard her cheerful voice - _It's Abby, you know what to do! -_ and then hung up. He definitely _didn't_ know what to do, so no point in leaving a message

Kelly looked at him expectantly when she stepped out through the basement door, but kept her mouth shut when he asked if they wanted to go to dinner.

After dinner they were seated around Gibbs' dining table going over photos that Shannon had brought, most showing Kelly's life over the past 18 years, when Gibbs' phone rang in his pocket.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Jethro."

"Hey Duck, everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, no need to worry. I just thought I would let you know that I enjoyed the company of a lovely young woman this evening."

"Calling to brag?"

"Perhaps."

"She okay? What'd she say?"

"She was just tired and in need of a decent meal. Mexico took a lot out of her. Her mind is a bit of a mess, but nothing that can't be figured out."

"She spending the night there?"

"No, she headed home a few minutes ago. I just didn't want you to worry. Johnson's case is nearly wrapped up, so she can catch up on some sleep tonight."

"Thanks Duck." He was about to hang up, but Ducky stopped him.

"Don't go looking for her tonight. She's tired, a bit emotional over everything and needs sleep. You'll only make things worse."

"I know." This time Gibbs didn't wait for a goodbye, he just hung up and tucked his phone away. Although Ducky had warned against it, he wanted nothing more to go to Abby and bring her back with him. He had his family back and the one person he wanted to share it with was avoiding him. He looked up to see Shannon and Kelly watching him. "Sorry, where were we?" Gibbs picked up the photo he'd been holding. "You were how old in this picture?"

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"She's smokin' hot." Tony leaned against the bar top and signaled for the bartender to come over.

"Of course she is - she is Gibbs' daughter. You would expect less?" Ziva ordered her beer and turned to Tony and McGee.

"Tony thinks anything that is female and has a pulse is hot." McGee grinned and ducked out of Tony's reach.

"Do not." Tony grabbed his beer. "Come on, Abby will be here soon. Let's grab a table." As much as he had fun with the idea of flirting with Gibbs' daughter, he had to push that away and focus on someone a little more important. Abby. He grabbed a second beer for Abby and a bowl of pretzels. The three found a booth in the back corner where they had a decent view of the bar, but it was still quiet enough they could talk without interruption.

"This place smells of red throats." Ziva complained as she slid into the booth, McGee sliding in beside her.

"Red necks," both Tony and McGee corrected. Tony continued, "We needed a seedy place like this to talk. It's the only place we don't run the chance of running into Gibbs or Ducky."

"We could have gone to my place, I am fairly certain Gibbs would not show up."

"What about the beer? And pretzels?"

"Grocery stores sell beer and pretzels, do they not?"

Tony was ready with a smart-ass response until he spotted Abby as she pushed through the front door and abandoned his reply in favor of waving her over.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late. I had to finish up some stuff in the lab." She hugged Tony before pushing him into the booth so she could sit on the outside. "So, why the hush-hush meeting at a seedy bar?"

"See?" Ziva waved her hand in Abby's direction. "Even she believes this to be a seedy bar."

"Zip it, Ziva." Tony shifted in his seat to face Abby. "What do you mean, why are we meeting? Have you hit your head and forgotten about the little surprise at work yesterday?" He'd wanted to get them all together the night before, but Abby had been at Ducky's and the rest of them had been stuck at work until late.

"No. I just… I don't know what there is to talk about."

"You think it's really them?"

"Tony, didn't you see Gibbs? Of course it's them. He'd know the difference." Abby took a long sip of her beer.

"Yeah, I've never seen Gibbs look so… happy, you know? Like a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders. Happy, happy." Tony regretted the words the moment he said them as a flash of hurt crossed Abby's face, so he wrapped an arm around Abby's shoulders.

"Personally, I find it rather odd that they suddenly show up in this way, as if maybe there is another motive for returning so close to the case being solved in Mexico." Ziva shrugged. "It just seems suspicious."

"Ziva, they came back now because it's the first time they've been safe to do so." McGee gave her a sincere look. "Their family was torn apart. Of course they would come back as soon as possible."

"This isn't Mossad," Tony reached for a pretzel. "Not everyone is out to get someone."

Ziva slapped his hand away from the pretzel bowl. "You think he got a DNA test done?"

McGee rolled his eyes.

Abby gently swirled the beer in her bottle. "I wonder how long he'll stay at NCIS."

"Has he said anything about leaving?" Ziva quirked an eyebrow.

Tony downed the last of his beer. "Think about it. He's been living a pretty work-driven life the past 18 years. He never spends his money, I'm sure he's got a large chunk of money saved up, plenty of vacation and sick days to cash in on. He's got Shannon and Kelly back now. Why would he want to work? He could build and sell boats if he wanted too. They could easily move back to Stillwater. Jack is there, Shannon must still have family there. What's stopping him from leaving?" It wasn't until he said the words that Tony truly worried that Gibbs would leave NCIS – that he would leave them.

"He has no reason to stay now," Abby confirmed.

"You guys, he loves going after the bad guys and working for the victims. I don't think he's ready to give that up yet." Tim tried to sound reassuring. He knew that Tony had come to see Gibbs as more than just a professional mentor, and that Ziva had put Gibbs in the position of father-figure, easily replacing Eli David. He didn't even want to think of what it would mean to Abby if Gibbs left – for good this time.

"McGee, the one reason he's been so driven to fight for the victims was to save people the pain of losing their family the way he did. He's got his family back now; he's not going to waste any more time with them." Abby finished her beer in a long swallow. "I don't blame him for that."

"But just because he has them back, doesn't mean he doesn't care about trying to keep others from pain." McGee countered.

"You think he wants to spend 12 hours at the office, run out on early morning calls, and work weekends when we catch a big case? He can't bring them to the office every day, and even if he did…" Abby wasn't sure she could stick around to watch their happy family moments, not for awhile anyway.

"And he certainly won't be putting his life on the line," Ziva added.

"I wouldn't mind that." Abby gave a sad smile. "Okay guys, sorry I can't stay long. I'm meeting some friends at a new club. I'll see you tomorrow."

The other three waited until Abby was out the door before speaking again.

"Her heart is broken."

"What?"

"C'mon McGoo, I know you haven't broken many women's hearts, but Ziva is right, her heart is broken."

"She and Gibbs weren't dating," McGee's voice went up slightly. "Were they? I mean, I know they were close, but they weren't dating, we would've noticed."

"No, doesn't mean they weren't in love. It was pretty obvious on Abby's part. And seeing as she's been the only one he hasn't pushed away, he has to have feelings for her." Tony grimaced. "Why do I think this is about to get messy? I think I need another beer."

Ducky decided he would at least have the decency to let Jethro know he was stopping by rather than just showing up. To his surprise, Gibbs didn't protest.

"Come on in, Duck." Gibbs welcomed him in. "The girls are out back."

"Wonderful." Ducky made his way through the house and out the back door, pleased to see an extra chair out for him.

"Doctor Mallard." Shannon stood to hug him, Kelly following suit. "Wonderful to see you again."

"Please, call me Ducky."

"Should I put some water on for tea?" Gibbs stood in the doorway. He always kept Ducky's favorite tea on hand, along with Tony's hazelnut creamer and a complete set of toiletries for Abby. He found it easier to keep a few of their favorite comfort items on hand for the times they needed a place to crash or unwind after a tough case.

"Thank you, but no. I don't intent to stay long."

Gibbs just rolled his eyes and took a seat. Ducky never _intended _to stay long.

"Jethro said he's worked with you the longest, and he has had nothing but wonderful things to say about you and the rest of his team." Shannon smiled. "It's good to hear."

"It's a wonderful group of people."

"We've heard bits and pieces from Jethro, but will you tell us about them? Kelly and I are just trying to get to know everyone and catch up with Jethro's life."

"Ah yes, quite the group of people." He glance over at Gibbs to make sure it was okay that they discuss the people in his life. With a slight nod from Gibbs, Ducky continued. "Besides me, Abby has worked with Jethro the longest. I recall when she was hired…" Ducky thought a moment, a smile on his face. "He yelled at her, and she was the first person at NCIS to yell right back. Eventually he brought her a Caf-Pow! in lieu of an apology. She said something along the lines of '_it will take more than one Caf-Pow to make up for your rude behavior_.' He's been bringing her those drinks ever since. Everyone loves her," Ducky continued. "But at the same time, we're all a little afraid of her. The things that woman could do with forensics is beyond me."

Gibbs smiled.

"Then, we have Tony. He arrived six-months after Abby. Jethro was irritated by his frat-boy mentality, but with a few well-timed slaps to the back of the head, he's mellowed out and turned into one of NCIS's best agents. We've had a few other agents, none quite fit on the team until Kate." Ducky gave Gibbs a sad smile.

"Kate?" Shannon asked. "I don't think we've met her."

"No, you haven't. She was sadly killed in the line of duty almost six years ago; a hard loss for us all. Not long after Kate joined, we got Timothy McGee. He has grown by leaps and bounds since joining Jethro's team. He was rather insecure, but has grown to be quite a competent agent, has he not?"

Gibbs nodded his agreement. There was no point in trying to get a word in, Ducky was quick to continue.

"Lastly we have Ziva David." Although he said he would give the short version of the story, it took Ducky nearly 20 minutes to explain how Ziva joined the team – left – and rejoined the team again. He wrapped up his speech with a brief introduction to his own assistant, Jimmy Palmer.

Before Ducky could continue again, Gibbs interrupted. "You staying for dinner, Duck?" It was nearly 7:30 and his stomach was growling.

"Oh, no thank you. I'm afraid I should get going. It was wonderful to spend time with the three of you."

"We appreciate your visit." Shannon stood to hug the doctor.

"I'll walk you out." Gibbs held open the back door and then followed him through the house. "How…"

"She came to me in confidence, Jethro. Don't ask me to break that. I won't betray her trust."

"I know, I'm not asking you to." Gibbs sighed.

"Good."

"But she… she's okay?"

"The last few weeks have been difficult. On everyone. She's exhausted, she doesn't eat enough and she drinks too much caffeine. Much like someone else I know."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "We're headed to Stillwater for the weekend."

"Oh, how wonderful. I can't imagine how happy Jack will be to have the three of you."

"Yeah," Gibbs smiled. "But keep an eye on Abby for me, will ya?"

"Of course. Have a wonderful time in Stillwater, and be sure to give Jackson my best."

TBC…

All you peoples worried about Abby driving home while exhausted. Would I really put poor Abbs in a car crash like that? Shame on you. ;)


	7. Chapter 7

The following morning Gibbs pulled open the door and stood with his arms across his chest. "What are _you _doing here?"

"Jethro," Shannon edged past him and hugged the man at the door. "Tom, I'm happy you could make it. Jethro, I invited him over." She frowned when all Jethro did was arch an eyebrow. "Tom, come in and sit down."

The original face-to-face between Tom and Gibbs hadn't gone so well. As much as Shannon tried to diffuse the situation, there had been obvious anger and resentment in Gibbs' eyes. It had taken over two hours, and three boxes of old evidence and photos to eventually convince him that the FBI had made the correct choice for their safety. But he still didn't have to like it, and he'd made it quite clear that Tom should stay clear of him.

"Thank you." Tom edged past Gibbs and followed Shannon to the living room. "Hello Kelly."

"Hi Tom, how're you?"

"I'm doing great thanks. I've only got a few more weeks until I am officially done with the FBI. It'll be nice to be a free man after that. How are you doing? Good to be back in D.C.?"

Shannon shot Kelly a warning glance before she could roll her eyes.

"Yeah." Kelly pushed up off the couch. "Dad was _just _about to show me something in the basement, right ?" She glanced at her father. _Please._

"Right." Gibbs nodded warily and followed his daughter toward the basement steps.

"He didn't replace you as my father. I hope you know that." Kelly circled the boat, idly picking at her nails. "I mean, I think he wanted to, but… he never did."

"I know." Gibbs sat on the third step from the bottom. He hated to see his daughter so visibly torn up over something that was out of her control.

"He wasn't around that much, but he was always popping up at my school events and sports games. It made me angry at first. I mean, I was only eight, but I wasn't dumb. I knew it was him and the FBI that decided that we had to hide and you couldn't come with us," Kelly wiped at her eyes before the tears could fall. "And I hated him for it."

Gibbs stood up and waited for Kelly to move into his arms. "It's okay."

"But it's not." She sniffled into his shoulder.

"It is, you were a young girl and you had no family. You needed the support." Gibbs stroked her hair softly and tightened his grip around her. "You don't get to feel guilty for letting someone like him into your life."

"You didn't."

"You're right," he kissed her forehead. "I didn't let anyone in until recently. And until then, I was miserable. You made the best of life. I saw the pictures. You were a happy, beautiful young woman in Portland."

"But I wasn't!" Kelly started to protest. "I missed you!"

"Hey, I'm not saying that you didn't miss me, I'm just saying you didn't let yourself be miserable, and I'm glad you didn't."

Kelly cried quietly against his chest, hugging herself as tightly to him as she could. Gibbs waited for her sobs to turn to sniffles and then eventually stop. "You hated him at first, and then what?"

Kelly pulled back to look at him.

"It's okay," he told her gently. "It's okay if you decided you liked him in your life."

Kelly shrugged. "I wouldn't say I really liked him. I tolerated him, but for mom's sake I played it up a little bit. I didn't really mind him popping up, but it made mom really happy." She hesitated a moment. "She really likes him."

"I know."

"What are you going to do?"

"Do?" Gibbs pulled back and arched a brow.

"I mean, I'm not a kid anymore and if you and mom…" Kelly shrugged in his arms. "While I've always had the whole 'one-big-happy-family' fantasy, I know it won't necessarily happen. I just want you _both_ happy and in my life."

"You don't have to worry about that, I don't plan on letting you go anywhere."

0o0o0

They left Friday afternoon for the four-hour drive to Stillwater, Pennsylvania. Gibbs had called ahead to give his father time react to the news privately first, and to prepare the guest room as well as his childhood bedroom.

The trip went mostly as Gibbs' expected, and as much as he tried to keep a leash on his emotions, tears were shed by all. Although she didn't have too many memories of Jack, Kelly fell right into her roll of granddaughter and let Jack spoil her, sticking to his side much of the weekend. Shannon phoned her mom from the shop and although Joann didn't come out and say it, she made it quite clear that Jethro wasn't invited to her reunion with the girls.

"How you doing, son?"

Gibbs looked over at his father as he continued to price the soup cans before placing them on the shelf. "I'm good."

"Uh huh."

Gibbs priced a few more cans, content to ignore his father as he fished for more information.

"You've got your girls back, it's a huge shock. I just want to know how you're doing."

"I'm fine. It's just been a lot. A lot has happened the past few weeks. It all feels like such a dream. How much for these?" Gibbs held up a box of oatmeal.

"$3.79. It's been a lot to take in. Have you told everyone at NCIS?"

"Yeah."

"How are things at home? For you and Shannon?"

Gibbs could only glare. His relationship with Shannon was no one else's business. In his dreams, she had come back to him and things had fallen back to the way they were – in reality, things weren't that simple.

"How is that scientist of yours, Abby, how is she doing?"

"She was really worried about you."

Jack smiled. "She's a hugger and a worrier, huh? Did ya tell her I can take care of myself? No Mexican drug lord will do anything to me as long as I got my Winchester. We can handle ourselves." Jack smiled proudly

Gibbs couldn't stop the slight grin and then rolled his eyes. "I think you forgot the bit about the agents I had up here looking out for you?"

"Minor detail," Jack grunted. "She met the girls yet?"

"Briefly. What's this about, dad?" Gibbs set down the pricing gun and turned to face his father. "Why the interrogation?"

"Look son, I know what you and Shannon had was… irreplaceable. I also know that it's been 18 years and you were starting to move on with your life and that you've had your eye on the lovely – don't deny it. I might be old, but I sure as hell ain't dead."

"_Dad._" He was having a hard enough time with those thoughts internally; he didn't need his father and everyone else weighing in. "Can I just enjoy having my family back?"

"Sure." Jack nodded. "Sure. Kelly grew up to be a beautiful young woman. I'd keep an eye on Tony. He sure does appreciate the ladies."

Gibbs arched a brow.

"He's a good man though, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

Gibbs shook his head. He had enough to worry about. He didn't need to think of DiNozzo working his charms on Kelly.

Moments later the small bell above the door rang as Kelly strolled in carrying a drink tray with milkshakes. "Mom is still with… grandma," the word was foreign in her mouth. "I got board so I caught a cab back and stopped at the diner down the street for milk shakes. Wait, you like milkshakes, right?" Kelly paused before setting them down.

"Of course." Jack stepped forward.

"Well I know you do, the woman at the diner said you had one every Sunday afternoon, said chocolate banana was your favorite. She wouldn't let me pay, just asked if I was that Gibbs' girl. But dad, you like…?"

"Yes, thank you." Gibbs accepted his drink.

"Ah yes, that Tammy. She's a good woman. Spoils me at times." Jack patted his belly.

"I see that," Gibbs didn't try to hide the smirk. "And you should've called," he turned to Kelly. "I would have come picked you up."

"I know, but then I would've had to wait longer and she was all touchy and cheek pinch-y and I was just ready to go. Her and mom are so not alike."

"No," Gibbs chuckled. "No they are not."

"But you're a lot like your dad." Kelly smiled. "And that's a good thing."

Both Gibbs' men tried not to smile and acknowledge the truth.

0o0o0o

That's how Shannon found them a few hours later, standing around the shop, happy smiles on their faces. "Looks like the three of you have been enjoying yourselves." She nodded to the empty milkshake containers. "Any left for me?"

"No, sorry mom. But if you go up the street to the diner and tell 'em who you are, you might get a free one."

Shannon laughed. "That old Tammy still running it?"

Jack smiled. "She is, I don't think she could survive without all the town gossip she gets up there."

"Sounds like someone else I know." Gibbs shook his head.

"Well I know you don't mean me." Jack grabbed the garbage can from behind the counter and tossed the empty cups in. "I don't need no town gossip. Half of it probably isn't true anyway."

"Sure dad, sure." Gibbs patted him on the shoulder. "Why don't you lock up? I'll go get dinner started."

"I'll help!" Kelly offered.

Gibbs turned and was about to tell her that he'd appreciate the help, but then saw she meant she was going to help Jack lock up and close down for the night. Gibbs just smiled and headed for the house.

0o0o0

TBC…

The feedback so far has been lovely, I appreciate it greatly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Gibbs reached wearily for his phone when it rang early Tuesday morning. Though he hadn't exactly been sleeping in, it was past his usual 5am wake up time. He glanced at the screen to check the caller ID, ready to tell whoever it was to leave him alone, but 'work' flashed on the screen. _Maybe it's Abby._ "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Agent Gibbs, sorry to wake you," Director Vance wasn't the first voice he wanted to hear in the morning. "But we could really use your help."

"I'm off the rest of the week, call DiNozzo."

"He's already here. We've got a dead petty officer, his frantic wife and a missing four year old."

Gibbs glanced over at Shannon to see that she had woken up. Although they shared a bed, with the exception of the first night, there had been no intimacy between them. They usually lay awake talking about the past, his arm draped over her, reminding him she was really there, but the urge to touch, explore, wasn't there the way it had been before.

"Gibbs?"

The minute a child was involved, Gibbs knew he couldn't say no. "Yeah, I'll be in." He hung up before Vance could tell him to hurry, and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He looked back at Shannon apologetically. "Case."

"It's okay. Maybe Kelly and I could come with? She how things at NCIS work? I'd love the chance to get to know your team better."

"Sure," Gibbs shrugged. "I'm sure Ducky would fill you in over a cup of tea."

It took just under an hour for the three of them to shower and get out the door. The drive to NCIS was quiet and Gibbs readied himself for whatever the case would bring. His team was hard at work when he stepped out of the elevator. He could tell they hadn't gotten much, if any, sleep. Ziva was arguing on the phone – something about security tapes. McGee was typing at his computer, and Tony paced in front of the plasma, flipping through a file.

"What've we got?"

"Boss!" Tony looked worried. "I told Vance not to call."

"It's alright, what've we got?"

Tony glanced at both Shannon and Kelly before telling Gibbs everything they knew so far. "Dead Petty Officer, Samuel Kent, his daughter is missing. His wife was in Boston visiting her sister. We're working on confirming that."

"Crime scene?"

"He was found by his wife." Tony snapped his fingers to get McGee to put the photos up on the TV. "Looks like he was watching TV and then… you know. Ducky isn't sure about the cause of death, he's got Abby running some tests."

Gibbs' heart jumped just a little at the mention of Abby. He hadn't seen her since Shannon had arrived, nearly a week and a half ago and he missed her. A lot. "You checked the place for prints?"

"Sent them to Abby. She might have-"

"I'll go." Gibbs dropped his jacket over the back of his chair and took both Shannon and Kelly's jackets as well. "We need to stop for coffee first."

Abby leaned against the table and tapped her foot in time with the music. The DNA samples had been loaded and the fingerprints scanned, now all she could do was wait. She clicked back and forth from screen to screen checking the progress of the various scans.

She heard the door open and sighed, her eyes still trained on one of her screens. "You were here 20 minutes ago Tony. I'm good, but I'm not _that_ good."

A Caf-Pow! appeared beside her keyboard and she shivered when she felt the heat of a warm, hard… body behind her.

"Not good enough if you're confusing me with DiNozzo."

"Gibbs!" Abby spun around and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. She'd felt guilty about avoiding him the few days before he's taken Shannon and Kelly to Stillwater, but the idea of seeing him happy with his family was something she just wasn't ready to deal with. "I…" she froze when she saw Shannon and Kelly in the doorway. She gently extracted herself from Gibbs' arms. "I hope you had a good time in Stillwater. Jack is good?"

"He's good." Gibbs smiled. "Wants to know when you'll be up for a visit."

"I should give him a call. But um, the case, I don't have anything for you yet. It's all loaded, scanned and running but I haven't-" Abby's eyes widened when one the finger prints came up with a match. "How did you do that?" Momentarily forgetting the discomfort of being around Shannon and Kelly, she turned to the two women. "He always knows when there is a match. Sometimes before my machines even know!"

"Abby…" It was a gentle reminder to focus. "The prints?"

"Right!" Abby turned back to her computer and tried to ignore how close Gibbs was standing. "Uh, Petty officer Eric Hunt. Lives on base, few doors down." Abby scanned over his information and then flipped to the evidence log. "This print was found in the bedroom. That's a bit hinky, your neighbors prints wouldn't be in your bedroom unless…"

"That's good work, Abbs." Without hesitation he brushed his lips across her cheek and then headed for the elevator, bringing Shannon and Kelly with him. "We'll be back down for lunch."

Abby waited until he was gone and then went back to pacing the lab, mumbling quietly to herself. She knew she needed to talk to Shannon and Kelly, more than a simple 'hello, how are you', but at the same time she wanted to stay out of their way. Gibbs had his girls back, and although she knew Gibbs would never use her, she couldn't help feeling a little as if the last 10 years had been a joke, as if she had been a temporary place holder while life played a cruel trick on all of them.

She knew that if she could just get over the emotional part of losing their almost-relationship, then she would be golden. She had head so much about Shannon and Kelly once Gibbs had started opening up to her, she felt as though she had known them too – as if she had lost them as well.

Fortunately for Abby, lunch didn't happen. As soon as she heard that Petty Officer Eric Hunt had been brought in, she hurried up to the observation room to watch Gibbs' interrogation. She should have known Shannon and Kelly would be there.

Both women looked at her and smiled as she shut the door quietly behind her. She returned the smile, noticing that Tony and Ziva stood watching as Gibbs circled the petty officer, deciding his best approach. Suddenly Gibbs was yelling and it didn't take much before Hunt confessed to killing Kent after finding out Kent had gotten his wife pregnant.

But then he sat back with a cold smile, taunting Gibbs with the fact that no one would find the little girl. Ever.

She wondered if the man had any idea how big a mistake that was. She could see the tension as it pulled at Gibbs. His muscles were tense and she knew it wouldn't take much for him to snap.

"Abby…"

She was one step ahead of Tony. "I'll see what I can find." She glanced one last time at Gibbs through the one-way mirror and then slipped out the door. It was always rough when a child was involved and although by some miracle he'd gotten his daughter back, she was certain it wouldn't lessen the blow if they couldn't locate the little girl.

It was 20 minutes before Gibbs came stalking into the lab, everyone else that had been in observation close behind him. "Abbs…"

"His mother had a small house on some property not far from here and left it to him when she died two years ago. I'm pulling a few more strings, but that's all I've got for you so far."

"I need an-"

"Address, I know." Abby picked up a piece of paper and handed it to him.

"DiNozzo…"

"Gas up the car and meet you out front. On it Boss."

"David…"

"Get McGee, meet out front." Both Tony and Ziva hustled out of the lab.

Abby watched as Gibbs turned to Shannon and Kelly. "You might want to go back to the house, this could take awhile." He turned back to her. "I need you to keep looking."

"Gibbs." She moved in front of him before he could get through the door. "You'll find her."

He didn't look convinced.

"Look, he's already confessed to murder, it wouldn't make a difference if she were dead. He's got her hidden somewhere. He's counting on you not finding her so he can made a deal. But he doesn't know how good NCIS is. You'll find her."

Gibbs looked at her a moment and then brought his thumb to her cheek. "Call me if you find anything else." Then he left.

Although she told Jethro she would head back to the house, Shannon waited until he left and then sent Kelly home with the car, claiming to have errands to do, saying she'd catch a cab back. She felt a little guilty over the lie.

She waited outside the lab, watching curiously as Abby moved from machine to computer and back again. Abby didn't dress the way she would have assumed the forensic scientist for a government agency would dress, but in some way it suited her and made Shannon's lip twist up in a smile. She never would have imagined Jethro falling for someone so unique. She found herself wondering if his exes were more like her or Abby. Not that he had admitted to any feelings for Abby. But there was something about the way he looked at her.

The music was loud and Shannon had to clear her throat twice before Abby heard her.

"Oh, hi!" Abby grabbed the remote and quickly switched off the music. "Is everything okay? Are you looking for-"

Shannon was quick to notice the genuine worry that flashed in Abby's eyes. "Everything is fine," she smiled. "Jethro left already. I just came down to say hello. I get the feeling you are an important person in Jethro's life, so I'd like to get to know you."

"Oh, um, yeah." Abby shifted uncomfortably.

"If you aren't too busy or anything." She knew Abby was running test, but she was just waiting for results. Maybe they could chat.

"I'm not too busy. I've got some searches going, but until my babies beep, I can chat."

Shannon watched as Abby tried to play calm and collected and she found herself wondering what had happened between Abby and Jethro. "How long have you worked here?" She'd start with something simple.

"I've been at NCIS for ten years now." Abby circled the lab, checking on each of the machines she had running. "Which is a good thing. I think most places would hesitate to hire someone like me. "She glanced down at the short skirt she was wearing.

Shannon opened her mouth to comment, but Abby continued.

"Which I'm sure you're wondering how I was hired here. I was the third forensic scientist that week. Gibbs was so mad at the previous two and their incompetence, it was three days before he noticed the way I dress, the tattoos. Director Morrow, the Director at the time, he didn't even blink an eye. All he cared about was my resume."

"So you've worked with Jethro the past ten years?"

"Yeah, for the most part. I run samples for the other teams, but I work more closely with Gibbs' team. Holidays, pizza on the weekends, a beer after work, we're all really close and watch out for each other, you know?"

She wasn't sure how to ask, so she jumped right in. "Did… did he ever talk about Kelly and I?"

Shannon watched as Abby chewed nervously on the inside of her cheek before she chose her words. "He's really guarded about his personal life. We only found out that Jack was alive 18 months ago. We found out about you after he was in an explosion." Abby started to pace. "He suffered from retrograde amnesia, and when he woke up from the coma, he was back in the gulf and had just found out that you died. That's how we found out, that was about 4 years ago."

Shannon swallowed against the lump that formed in her throat. "But he had you, the team, to help him through? You all seem to be so close. From what he's told-"

"He didn't remember us. And when he did…" Abby shrugged. "He left."

"NCIS?"

"Yeah. He moved to Mexico for awhile."

"But he came back? Why?"

"I'm honestly not sure."

"And you…" she was unsure of how to phrase her next question, but was interrupted by the phone in Abby's lab.

"Hello?"

She couldn't hear the caller, but judging by the wide range of emotion openly displayed on Abby's face, she assumed it was Jethro.

"She's not? Okay, let me pull up the map, one second." Abby's fingers flew across the keyboard. "Okay, you can't see it from where you are, but east of the house there are some trees. You see where I'm talking about? Okay, about 150 feet in there is what looks like a shed. Try there? Alright, let me know."

Abby hung up and turned to Shannon, a pained expression on her face. "The girl wasn't in the main house."

"Oh."

"Cases with kids are always difficult."

"I can imagine." Shannon remembered the worry when she first woke up

"It has to do with Kelly, you know? He thought he'd lost her for good and didn't want anyone else to have to go through that if he could help it."

Shannon gave a sad smile. "She had him wrapped around her little finger from the moment she was born. Still does, I'm sure."

"Oh yeah. I bet he was, well, is a good dad. Once we found out about you, he'd share little things every now and again."

Shannon frowned. "I wish… I wish he had been able to settle down, have the happy family life again. It was unfair that Kelly and I got to go lead a semi-normal life while he… I know about the ex-wives. Did you meet any of them? Was he happy for awhile at least?"

"I've met two." Abby shrugged. "It's complicated." She wasn't sure it was her place to discuss his ex-wives.

"Oh God, you weren't one of the ex-wives, were you? I mean, it doesn't matter if you are, I just-"

"Oh no… I'm not on that list." Abby burst out laughing. "I'm not exactly the marrying type."

"Oh? And why not?"

"Because the heart wants what the heart can't have. I'd rather not go with a second choice. And also, I'm not into big stuff like that. I just want someone to love and who will love me back." She shrugged. "Easy as that."

"So you and Jethro…"

"We're just friends." Abby forced out.

"But you're close?"

"Yeah," Abby shrugged. She thought back to when she had said that she and Gibbs _we're tighter than blood._ Apparently they weren't, not quite. "I mean, you have to be close with your co-workers to work here. We deal with so much death and horrific crimes. I wouldn't last a week if I didn't have such a great support system here in the office."

"Jethro said he considers you all his family." Shannon smiled. "That's nice that he has you."

Abby tried not to let out a sigh of relief. She had avoided using the term 'family', not wanting Shannon to feel like she and Kelly had been replaced. "He uh, he really missed you guys. I'm glad he has you back. Eighteen years later than it should be, but better late than never. I'm, um, I'm really happy for you guys."

"Thank you." Shannon smile sincerely.

"Welcome." Abby nodded and then spun around to answer the phone when it rang. "Hello?"

"Got the little girl," Gibbs' voice rumbled in her ear. "Good work, Abbs."

"She's okay?"

"She's fine, a little scared."

Abby turned to Shannon and gave her a thumbs up. "Anything you need me to do?"

"No." Gibbs disconnected as usual and Abby placed the phone back in the cradle.

"The girl is safe. Gibbs should be back soon. He'll have a bit of paper work, but then I'm sure he'll take you home." Abby glanced over her shoulder at Shannon as she started switching off her machines.

"Why don't you come over for dinner tonight? I know Jethro has been trying to get you over. I could make-"

"Not tonight. Gibbs won't want to talk, not after today, even if he did find the girl."

"Oh, ok."

"Don't be surprised if he's pretty quiet tonight. Not that he's ever been very chatty."

"Ah, well, maybe tomorrow?"

"Um, maybe." She knew she had to go over at some point. She finished shutting down her lab and escorted Shannon up to the squad room to wait for Gibbs. "Have a good night."

Shannon was surprised when Jethro didn't question why she was still at NCIS when he returned. She sat with Ducky and entertained the young girl until her mother arrived and then waited at the agents finished up their paperwork.

Just as Abby said, the moment they got home, Jethro disappeared to the basement. Kelly had a worried look on her face. "He okay?"

"He'll be alright. Abby said he usually disappears to the basement when they've had a hard case involving a kid. I'm sure he'll be up before long." She gave her daughters hand a soft squeeze. "He'll be fine."

They waited around; waiting for him for dinner, but by 8pm when he still hadn't come up Shannon peeked into the basement. "Can I come down?"

"Sure." Gibbs turn to lean back against the boat and watched as Shannon came half way down the stairs.

"You hungry? Kelly and I were thinking of ordering something."

"Nah. Go ahead. I'll just throw something together later."

"Okay." Shannon gave him sad smile. "She's okay though, you found her in time."

"I know." Gibbs turned back to the boat, running his hand over the long beams.

Shannon frowned at the pained expression still on his face, despite knowing he'd found the girl, and then headed back upstairs.

"He's coming up?" Kelly looked up from where she sat on the kitchen counter flipping through take-out menu's. "He's been down there awhile."

"He said to go ahead and eat without him. Why don't you go ahead and order something for us. I'm just going to make a quick phone call." Shannon grabbed her cell phone from the counter and then headed out back.

The phone rang twice before she heard a tired yawn. "Hello?"

"Abby? It's Shannon. Did I wake you?"

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I just… I'm worried about Jethro. Did something else happen with the case that I don't know about? He's still down in the basement."

"Nah, he usually stays down half the night. I usually just leave a sandwich in the fridge and he finds it when he stumbles upstairs in the middle of the night." Abby paused. "Like, after I went home."

"Alright, I guess I'll just let him be then. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

It was nearly mid-night before he was able to drag himself away from the boat. He had stayed sober, meaning to go up earlier, but time slipped away from him. Even with his own daughter back, he couldn't help but relive the pain of losing Kelly.

Shannon was still up when he switched off the basement lights and headed for the fridge to silence his grumbling stomach. He froze when he saw a sandwich prepared and waiting in the fridge. "Abby was here?" He carried the plate out to the living room where Shannon sat watching the late-night news.

"No. Is everything okay?"

Gibbs looked down at the plate in his hands. "Everything is fine. Just been a long day." He sat down beside her to eat the sandwich. It was something Abby did for him after all their hard cases. She always knew he needed to be alone afterwards, but much like herself, he would easily forget to feed himself, so she always made sure he had a sandwich ready to grab. Sometimes she would be so quiet, he wouldn't even hear her come and go, but there was always a sandwich waiting for him.

TBC…

You guys have been beyond delightful. I love all the reviews/pms I've gotten lately. Thank you all!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine **

On Wednesday, Gibbs tried all afternoon to get a hold of Abby. He'd been convinced she had been there to make him a bit to eat the night before and it irritated him that he hadn't heard her come in. He wanted to see her, and now he was ready to go find her.

"She didn't answer." Gibbs tucked his phone back into his packet. He was starting to get irritated. He understood why she was keeping her distance, but at the same time he missed her and he felt like there was so much to be said.

"Of course not, she's going bowling." Kelly answered.

Gibbs cocked his head to the side. "Exactly how well do you know each other?" Gibbs reached for his keys, but Kelly grabbed them, holding them just out of reach.

"I'll go. I've always wanted to see some bowling nuns."

He wanted to go, he wanted to sit back and watch her bowl from a distance where she wouldn't see him and start to worry. The time alone would give him some much needed time to think before he approached her. He missed Abby – missed her showing up in his basement late at night just to watch him work. He missed finding her perched on his desk at work in the morning because she had been at an amazing concert and wanted to tell him all about it.

Gibbs crosses over to the front door and opened it for Kelly. "Tell her I want to talk to her." _And I miss her,_ he added silently.

It didn't take long for Kelly to find Abby in the crowd at the local bowling alley. "Abby!" She had to call out her name a few times before Abby heard her and waved her over.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine," Kelly laughed. "I love your outfit. You weren't kidding about the whole bowling with nuns, were you?"

Abby smoothed down her poodle skirt and grinned. "Why would I lie about such a thing?"

"It's just-" Kelly was interrupted by an older woman.

"Abigail, you didn't tell me you'd have guest with you this evening. We need her name for the scoring sheets."

"Oh, I'm not here to bowl, I-"

"Nonsense, we've got room on Abby's team. What's your name dear? We'll add you to the list."

"I, uh, I'm not…" Kelly turned to Abby for help.

"Kelly, this is Sister Rosita, you should stay and bowl – if only to see her bowl. Really, she's amazing."

"Oh Abigail." Rosita blushed.

"And this," Abby grabbed Kelly's hand. "Is Kelly Gibbs."

"Kelly, it's wonderful to…"

Kelly watched as realization washed over Sister Rosita's face and then let herself be pulled into a bone crushing hug.

"How… oh, I bet Jethro is just beside himself with joy."

"You know my dad?" She turned to Abby. "He bowls with nuns too?"

"Of course I know your father," Rosita smiled. "I haven't seen him in awhile, but Abby can be very persuasive and has gotten him to join us a time or two. At church as well, on occasion."

Kelly allowed herself to be guided over to the front desk for bowling shoes and then managed to escape Rosita's attention and return to Abby. "She likes to talk, doesn't she?"

"Almost as much as she likes to bowl."

They were silent as the other bowlers began to warm-up, and Kelly watched as Abby's fingers twisted nervously in her lap. She hated that Abby, who was so obviously a huge part of her father's life, was so nervous to be around her. "So, I'm just going to get this out… the guy you were talking about at the coffee shop - that was my dad, wasn't it?"

It looked as though Abby was going to deny it, but then she just shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

"Just because my mom and I are back, doesn't mean you have to stop loving him. Or that he stops loving you." Kelly offered a reassuring smile. "Even if we hadn't had that conversation at the coffee shop, I would have to be blind not to see that there is something between you. I'm not mad."

Abby winced at the use of the L-word. "I'm not trying to get between them."

"Well that's rather obvious. My dad has been trying to get you to come over, but you keep avoiding it. He really wants to see you, talk to you, for more than two minutes at work." She reached out and grabbed Abby's hand, giving it a soft squeeze. "You don't have to avoid him because of us."

"You guys needs your time to catch up, you know, family time."

"Part of family time is getting to know the people in my dad's life. People important to him, people like you."

"I just…"

Kelly watched as Abby struggled with what to say. It had been obvious the first time they met, how much Abby cared for the man that turned out to be her father. "Come over tonight after bowling. We can order some food or something. It'll be fun, relaxed. My mom enjoyed talking to you the otherday."

"I don't know." Abby shrugged.

"My dad really wants to see you," Kelly looked hopeful. "Please?"

Abby rolled her eyes and smiled. "I could never resist a Gibbs saying please."

"Good to know," Kelly grinned. "I'll keep it in mind."

"Yeah, yeah. Come on, we're up."

With the exception of Sister Rosita asking Kelly a few questions about seeing her father again, the two women managed to avoid the topic of Abby and Gibbs' could-be relationship. Abby explained life in the D.C. area; the best restaurants, coffee shops and night clubs. They told each other more about their lives, and Abby pretended that it wasn't Gibbs' daughter that was talking about growing up without a dad. She was glad when Sister Rosita jumped back into the conversation, entertaining them with stories of her misguided youth. Abby had heard the stories before, but she loved hearing the tales that closely matched a few of her own.

Kelly's cheeks were sore from smiling and laughing by the time they had finished. She hadn't expected the nuns to be such a lively bunch, and Abby's added commentary had kept her laughing the entire time.

"So you're, uh, coming over, right?" Kelly asked as she slipped out of her rental shoes.

"I…" Abby glanced down at her bowling outfit.

"No! You said you would." Kelly's glare was similar to the one Gibbs often gave.

"I'll just run home and change. It'll take ten minutes max."

Kelly sighed. "Alright, but ten minutes, that's it."

"Why do you want me to come over so bad?"

She thought a moment. "Look, I've dreamed of going back to the way things were before, but I'm not naïve. Eighteen years is a long time. I at least had my mom. My dad had no one at first, but he's had you the past several years. I don't know what's going to happened between my parents, but you're important to my dad. He's important to me, so you are too. And I know this can't be easy for you." She suddenly found herself wrapped up in a tight hug.

"Thanks Kelly. I'll come over, but I do want to change first. I'll bring some dinner. Chinese?"

"I can get food if you want?"

"I'll call an order in and pick it up on the way. Anything specific you and your mom like or don't like?"

"Nope, we're not picky."

Abby leaned back against her car and sighed. Gibbs' house had always been a source of comfort, but now… her first thought was to turn and leave. Before she could chicken out, she grabbed the food and headed for the front door. She knocked twice and waited. And waited. It took over a minute for Gibbs to answer the door.

"I told you, you don't need to knock."

Abby gave her best _you can't tell me what to do_ smile as she stepped past him, into the house. "And I told you I would knock."

"Abby!" Kelly rounded the corner from the kitchen. "For a minute I thought you were going to skip out on us again."

Abby glanced at Shannon who had followed in behind her daughter, and then smiled at Kelly. "Sorry, I had to hang up the poodle skirt." She moved past them into the kitchen with the food. "Oh, and Gibbs? Sister Rosita will be expecting you at Church on Sunday."

"I figured as much. How was bowling? Kelly said you did well."

"I scored 174 on my best game. Not too bad." She hoped she sounded relaxed, but the way her heart was pounding, she was sure everyone could hear it. "So anyway, I got a little bit of everything," she held up all the food, "because I wasn't sure what everyone wanted." She put the food on the counter and started pulling out plates from the cabinet. "But don't worry boss-man, plenty of cashew chicken for you."

"My favorite."

Abby tried to ignore the look that Kelly and Shannon shared before Shannon spoke. "Kelly and I just put a table cloth on the table on the back patio, if that's okay?"

"Sure." Abby nodded, glancing at Gibbs to see if he had anything to say about it. He didn't.

"Come on, Kel. Help me carry this stuff out to the table."

As soon as Shannon and Kelly were outside, Gibbs caught Abby's arm. "Talk to me."

Abby looked at him, her eyes wide. "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know," Gibbs sighed. "You've been avoiding me."

"Just giving you space, that's all." She shrugged and smiled softly. "I'm not avoiding you."

"We need to talk. I owe you that conversation, and more of an explanation of everything."

"No, it's okay, really. I understand." She tried to move away.

"This isn't over, Abbs." He started to pull her into a hug.

"Gibbs don't… I can't. Not yet, okay?" She pulled herself from his grasp. "Let's go eat." Abby tried to ignore the look of hurt that flashed in Gibbs' eyes as she picked up the last of the food to carry out to the backyard.

Abby found herself relaxing around Shannon and Kelly, laughing at their stories and sharing a few of her own. They talked about Stillwater and Jack and NCIS and Abby's career in forensics. She could feel Gibbs' gaze on her all through dinner. He didn't say much, only adding to a story when he was asked. Once the food was gone he excused himself to go inside and it took them fourteen minutes to realize he wasn't coming back.

"Maybe I should go. It was nice talking to you guys. I apologize for avoiding this for so long, I just didn't want to interrupt family time, you know?"

"I'm glad you finally made it over. I can see how you've become a big part of Jethro's life."

Kelly smiled and nodded in agreement. It made Abby's heart flutter - Kelly's smile and bright blue eyes looked exactly like Gibbs'.

Shannon followed her back in through the kitchen and stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Before you go, maybe you could go talk to him while Kelly and I clean up? I think he was hoping to have some time to talk, and then we ended up dominating the conversation."

"Oh. Sure." She wasn't sure she wanted to be alone with him, but she headed to the basement because it was Gibbs. And there wasn't much she wouldn't do for him.

"You came to say goodbye?"

Abby couldn't help but smile. "How did you know it was me?" He was at his work bench, his back turned to her.

"They've yet to come down without being invited, or at least asking first." Gibbs turned to face her, leaning back against the work bench.

"Should I start knocking at the basement door too?"

"Abby!" He moved forward, his voice laced with irritation.

"I was kidding." Abby moved past him and walked along the half-covered shell of the boat. "You plan on burning this one and starting a new one?" She hated the idea of this boat hitting the burn pile, she had spent many hours watching him labor over it. "Or are you done building boats now?"

"No. This one means too much." He followed her to the boat and pulled the blanket back to reveal the dark letters.

"You… you named it after me?" Abby traced the black letters of her name. "Why?"

"Abby,"_ I love you._ Gibbs sounded irritated and upset at the same time and Abby wasn't sure she'd ever heard him like that before. "You know why."

"It doesn't matter anymore, Gibbs." Abby pulled the blanket back over the boat, and then paced in front of him. "You've got Shannon back now. It's what you've wanted, what you've dreamed about for 18 years."

"Abby stop-"

"No Gibbs, you're happy. _You_ can finallybe happy. I want that for you, don't you get it?" She stopped and looked at him with big eyes that sparkled despite looking like she was about to cry. "Don't feel like you have to let me down gently, because you don't. I've only ever wanted you to be happy and now you can be."

She was about to start pacing again, but was shocked when his hand snaked out and grabbed hold of her arm. She started to pull away, the closer he was to her, the harder to was to guard her emotions.

"Please, Abbs."

_There it is. That damn please._ She allowed herself to be tugged into his arms and found herself melting against him and then, finally, wrapping her arms around him as he hugged her tightly.

"You make me happy too, you know."

"Gibbs…"

"I don't know what's going to happen yet, Abbs. I just, I need some time, okay?"

She was okay with his hug until he pressed his lips to her temple and the embrace turned from a comforting hug into something more intimate. It was then that she knew she needed to leave before things turned too emotional for her. "I should go. I'll see you on Monday when you come back to work."

"I'll be in for a little while tomorrow. I have some paperwork to finish."

Unable to resist, she pressed up on her toes to kiss his cheek softly. "Then I will see you tomorrow." She wiped at the slight smudge of lipstick on his skin and then headed up the steps.

TBC…

Alright, so I've got this story and one other that I want to get up before the new season starts/I leave on my big trip. So… possible Gabby spam from me the next few weeks. Eeps!


	10. Chapter 10

**See how much I effin' love you all? Two posts in ONE DAY! I haven't even been posting daily, yet here I am… Sheesh. I warned you about the Gabby!Spam.**

**Chapter Ten**

Gibbs dropped Shannon and Kelly off at his favorite diner for breakfast and then continued on to NCIS. He had an hour or so of paperwork to finish up and then he would pick them up again and tour the city.

His first stop was coffee for himself and Caf-Pow! for Abby. He was sure Tony would have supplied her first thing in the morning, but he couldn't help himself. It was his job to keep her caffeinated and happy. Spending the few minutes alone with her in the basement the night before had brought up feelings he thought he'd been able to push away. He wanted to hold her – wanted, maybe even needed the physical connection with her.

But he owed it to Shannon and Kelly to try for the happy family they had been together 18 years ago. It was the point of his time off, wasn't it?

He was almost through the door when he heard a voice other than Abby's. He knew his team was all at their desks, he'd past by on his way down, and he knew that the other team on duty wasn't likely to stay and chat.

He felt his blood boil when he saw Thomas King getting a tour of Abby's lab courtesy of the peppy scientist herself.

"Oh, hi Gibbs!" Abby smiled brightly at him, almost as brightly as she used to. "Tom was looking for you, but you weren't in yet, so I was giving him the grand tour." Her eyes lit up when she spotted the Caf-Pow! "Is that for me?"

Gibbs pushed the cup roughly into her hands and nodded to indicate Tom should step into the hallway with him.

"You stay_ away_ from her."

"I wasn't-"

"You took my wife and daughter away from me eighteen years ago, you keep your hands off of her," Gibbs growled with a nod back toward the lab.

"I was looking for Shannon, she didn't answer her phone this morning and she said she'd spent some time here with you and I thought…"

"I'll have her call you."

"Thank you." Tom headed for the elevator. Gibbs waited for the elevator to close, and then, after giving himself a few moments for a deep breath he turned back to the lab.

"What was that about?" Abby was leaning back against the counter, sipping her Caf-Pow!

"What did he want?"

"I told you, he said he was looking for you. He didn't say any more than that. Did he not tell you what he wanted?" Abby tilted her head. "That's hinky."

"He wanted to talk to Shannon."

"Oh."

"I don't want you around him, Abbs."

"Gibbs, please." Abby rolled her eyes. "He's retiring. It's not like he came to poach me for the FBI like Fornell."

Gibbs scowled at the mention of Fornell poaching his people. "Is there something you need to tell me? You thinking of leaving NCIS, Abbs?" She'd always told him she'd never leave, but now with the way things were changing he wouldn't be completely surprised if she said she was.

Although his voice remained calm, she could read the tension in his body. "Gibbs, I told you I would never leave NCIS. Ever. You _know_ that. Stop asking if I'm going to leave. I'm not here for the paycheck." Abby turned to her computer and typed in a few commands.

Gibbs was about to turn and leave when she spoke again. "Are _you_ leaving?"

He'd almost missed what she'd said, but the look on her face told him he hadn't misheard her. "No. Why would I be leaving?"

"We just thought that now…" Abby shrugged. "Well, now with Shannon and Kelly back, you wouldn't want to work here anymore. Spend more time at home or something."

"Not going anywhere." He stepped forward and brushed his lips softly against her cheek. "I'll see you later."

Abby waited until he was gone before heading back to her office, locking the door and crying.

0o0o0

Shannon placed the phone back in the cradle and stared down at it. She turned her wrist to look at her watch and realized that she had been talking to Tom for the past 35 minutes. The house was quiet – Kelly was up looking through things in her childhood room and Jethro was down in the basement.

She knew they needed to talk, figure out where things were going for them. She felt as though she were stringing Tom along, though she was grateful that he was being gracious and giving her time to sort through her thoughts. He had been a big part of her life the past eighteen years, visiting several times a year under the pretense of work, but always staying longer to spend time with her.

She loved Jethro, always would, but they still seemed to be living separate lives, despite living together. She didn't know him anymore, didn't know his work habits, how he chose to unwind. She didn't get the silence that came with working in the basement when it had originally been full of laughter and Kelly's giggles when she was a young girl helping her father.

She felt safer than she had the past eighteen years, now that she was back 'home'. Sleeping beside Jethro at night, his arm across her mid-section was reassuring and reminded her that she didn't need to look over her shoulder at every turn. And she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Kelly look so happy. She was almost always near her father, touching him, hugging him, leaning against him, wanting to do something for him.

If things didn't work out between her and Jethro, she didn't want Kelly to feel as though she had to choose between them.

And then there was Abby. She couldn't pretend she didn't notice the tension between them. She wasn't exactly sure what had been going on between them, but it was obvious that there was more to the story than just the fact that they were close. She had tried to talk to Jethro about it, but he had shut her down every time.

She had brought up the topic of Abby around Kelly - who seemed more than happy to talk about Abby, but she claimed not to know much either about the relationship between Jethro and the forensic scientist.

"What did he want?" Kelly's feet were silent as she came down the stairs.

Shannon looked up at her daughter and smiled. "The FBI is having a retirement party for him in a few weeks. Invited us to go."

"What did you say?" Kelly edged closer to the coffee machine in the kitchen. She loved that he father always had hot coffee in the coffee pot. It was always fresh.

"That I would love to attend, but that I wasn't sure if you were free. It's up to you if you would like to go or not."

Kelly shook her head. "I'd rather stay home with dad."

"He was invited too."

"He was?" Kelly looked up with interest. "Think he'll go?" She felt like she owed Tom and that attending a party in his honor would be a good way of thanking him for showing up at all her events as she went through school, but she still struggled with the fact that she felt like he tried to take the place of her father.

"I don't know."

They stood quietly for awhile, thinking. Kelly listened for any sounds of her father working on the boat in the basement he had named for Abby. "Does it hurt your feelings?" Kelly asked as she poured a cup of coffee for her mother and then one for herself.

"Does what?"

"Knowing that dad has…. I dunno, feelings? For someone else?" Kelly handed her mom a steaming cup and then sat beside her on the sofa.

Shannon thought for a moment. "I don't know."

"I wish we could go back, you know? The way things were before. I wish I was seven again and we were headed out camping at the beach again."

"I know, sweetie. Me too." Shannon wrapped an arm around her daughter and kissed the side of her forehead.

"It won't ever be like that again, will it?"

"No. I don't think so."

"And you and dad…?"

"Not something you need to worry about. We'll both be in your life. That won't change, no matter what happens between your father and I."

"I know that, I just… I feel like nothing is settled."

"I'm sorry, Kel. You're father and I, we just need some time to figure things out, that's all."

"And Tom?"

"I don't know. I just don't know."

0o0o0

Gibbs smoothed his hand along the inside of the boat until he felt a rough spot and then focused the sandpaper over the area. Walking in to Abby's lab to find her chatting so easily with the man that had kept him from his wife and daughter had nearly pushed him to put his fist through the wall. He'd pushed everyone else away the rest of the morning he was at NCIS and then, after a quick lunch downtown, he'd retreated to the basement once he was home. He knew it wasn't fair, not to any of them, but especially Kelly. She seemed happy to continue to explore he childhood room. Emptying drawer after drawer, sorting through photos or notes from friends, her old journal from when she was learning to write. But still, it wasn't fair to retreat to the basement.

He knew he needed to talk to Shannon. They needed to figure out what exactly they were going to do – if they were going to make a genuine effort to reestablish their marriage, he needed to find away to give up his feelings for Abby. They had been so close to starting something – hell, the past ten years had been something – and the idea of putting a stop to that was something he didn't know if he could do.

0o0o0

TBC…


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry about the lack of replies to reviews… been super busy today and figured you'd want the chapter instead.**

**-0-0-**

"Yeah, Gibbs." Gibbs muffled a yawn as he answered the phone. A quick glance at the clock told him what his body already knew – it was 3:45 am, too early to be getting up.

"Agent Gibbs?"

"Yeah." He glanced over as Shannon stirred beside him.

"My name is Tess Martin, I'm an E.R. nurse at Bethesda and I have you listed as an emergency contact for Abigail Sciuto. Is that correct?"

"She okay?" Gibbs flew out of bed and reached for his jeans. "What happened?"

"There was a gang-related shooting downtown…"

0o0

"_Sir, there was a gang-related shooting yesterday back in D.C…"_

"_Shannon and Kelly?"_

"_They are fine, but Shannon saw everything. She'll be used as a witness. They'll want to put her in protective custody until the case is over. Like I said, they are fine. You've got nothing to worry about."_

_0o0_

"… She'll be fine. You've got nothing to worry about." He'd heard that line before and look where that led him.

Gibbs shook his head and tried to clear the mental image from his head. "What?"

"There was a shooting, appears to be gang-related. The victim was shot while driving and his car plowed into Ms. Sciuto's."

He suddenly felt nauseas. "Shes…"

"She was talking when they brought her in a few minutes ago. The doctor is with her now. She's in the best of hands, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

"I'm on my way." Gibbs flipped his phone shut and tugged a shirt over his head.

"Jethro? What's going on?" Shannon pushed up to lean back against the headboard.

"It's Abby, she's in the hospital." He pulled his red sweatshirt on and tucked his phone in his pocket.

"Oh my God, is she okay?"

"I don't know. I'll call when I know something."

The city moved past him in a blur as he made his way to Bethesda.

At the hospital, Gibbs pushed his way to the front desk. "Abigail Sciuto?"

The nurse was obviously not in a hurry as she flipped through the files. "Abigail Sciuto… Abigail Sci- Ah, here we are. I'm not sure if the doctor is finished yet, if you'll just have a seat in the waiting-"

Gibbs leaned over the desk. "Where. Is. She?"

"Well, she-"

"Forget it." Gibbs pushed away from the desk and started down the hallway. The place was crawling with cops (local LEO's – almost as irritating as the FBI) but they stepped back when he flashed his badge.

He finally found her at the far end of the hallway. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be resting comfortably, so he took a few minutes to pace outside and calm down before going in. Once the urge to put his fist through the wall was more manageable he walked quietly to her bedside.

He was relieved at the lack of any tubes or wires, with the exception of a heart monitor, on her body. From what he could see, she had a lump on the left side of her forehead, likely from hitting the window.

He stood silently beside her bed, listening to the steady rhythm of her heartbeat on the monitor. Eventually the urge to touch her won out, and he ran his fingers along her arm before picking up her hand.

"Gibbs?" Her eyes fluttered open against the harsh hospital light. She hadn't been asleep, but she wasn't quite awake either.

"Yeah, it's just me." He brushed her hair away from her face. "Go back to sleep."

"I wasn't asleep."

"You okay?" Gibbs sat on the edge of her bed, his arms itching to wrap around her.

"Yeah. He wasn't going that fast. He clipped the back bumper of my car and I spun into a street lamp. They are just keeping me for awhile because I hit my head." Her fingers found the lump. "Other than that, I'm okay."

It hit him like a blow to the stomach. She could have lost her life in the blink of an eye and he hadn't been there. "Good." Gibbs nodded, and fought back the wave of emotion that suddenly swept over him. "Good."

"You don't have to stay, I know it's still really early."

Gibbs rolled his eyes, reigning in the last of his panic and motioned for her to scoot over. "You hit your head harder than you think if you think I'm leaving you alone."

Abby moved to make room for him as he situated himself next to her and gently pulled her into his side. He was surprised that she didn't fight it and that she so easily molded herself against him. "Sleep, Abbs."

"You too."

Abby woke to a room full of people talking quietly. She would have startled if it hadn't been for the fact that Gibbs' arm was still wrapped tightly around her and his lips were pressed to the top of her head.

"Hey, she's waking up." Tony's voice was the first she recognized. "How you feeling, Abby?"

She blinked a few times and stretched before settling back against Gibbs. "I'm alright. Still have a bit of a headache, but other than that I'm fine. You guys don't need to be here." She shifted to look up at Gibbs. "You don't need to stay either. I know you had plans for the day."

"No plans." Gibbs shook his head.

"If you think we're going anywhere, well, you're wrong." Tony leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on Abby's bed.

"Abby, if one of us was in a car accident, would you leave?" McGee asked from his place by the door.

Abby didn't get the chance to answer.

"Room for two more visitors?" Shannon and Kelly stepped just inside the door.

"Sure." Abby stiffened and tried to distance herself from Gibbs, but his arm kept her in place.

"I wasn't sure how long you'd be stuck in here, so I thought you might need one of these." Kelly held up a Caf-Pow! "Don't worry, I double checked with the nurse that it would be okay."

This time Gibbs' arm didn't hold her back as she sat up to accept the drink. "Thank you!"

"What is it with the Gibbs' and their drive to please Ab-" Tony doubled over when Ziva's elbow connected with his stomach. "Ow."

McGee laughed quietly.

Kelly ignored the others and sat on the edge of Abby's bed. "What happened? Does your head hurt really bad?" She listened quietly as Abby explained what happened. "He won't get away with that will he? You can do something, can't you?" Kelly asked her dad.

"Don't worry, Kel. The cops are already involved." He didn't need to tell her that the man who had hit her had died from the gunshot wound.

"Excuse me, if I could have a moment with Ms. Sciuto?" The doctor stood at the foot of her bed and nodded toward the door.

As everyone filed out, Gibbs moved to the corner of the room, making it clear that he would give them space, but that he wasn't leaving. The doctor gave him a sharp look, but Abby shook her head.

"You'd need security to get him to leave. It's okay, he can stay."

The doctor glared at Gibbs, clearly not intimidated by the glare he received in return, but said nothing. "I've spoken with the neurologist about the CT scan and he isn't too concerned about where you hit your head. And besides the few other bumps and bruises, you lucked out. That said, is there someone you can stay with tonight? I'm certain you'll be fine, but as a pre-cautionary measure I would like to ask that you stay with someone, or have someone stay with you."

"She'll stay with me."

"No Gibbs, it's okay. I'll have Tony stay with me. A night in my cof- er, bed sounds good. Plus, you've got Shannon and Kelly at home."

"I always have room for you."

"Well, that's for you to figure out. Just as long as you have someone who can keep an eye on you." The doctor exited with a quick nod.

Abby ignored him. "I know Gibbs, but things are different now. You can't just have your co-workers staying over."

"They won't mind."

"Who won't mind what?" Kelly led the rest of the group back in. "The doctor said he was done, so…"

"Yeah, you can come back in. And your dad was just saying that Tony wouldn't mind staying with me tonight. Doctor said I should-"

"Abby! You can stay with us! We have the guest room and – she can stay with us, can't she?" Kelly turned to her dad with wide blue eyes.

Abby tried to ignore the fact that if the guestroom was free, I meant Shannon was sharing a bed with Gibbs.

"Of course I'll stay with you!" Tony broke in. "We're long over-due for a James Bond marathon anyway." He must've read Abby's look of relief.

_God bless Tony._ "Get the nurse so I can sign papers and get out of this place."

"No, doc said he wanted you here 12 hours. I'm not rescuing you until 3. It'll give me a chance to run home and grab a few things. I'll be back."

"I'm going for coffee." Gibbs left without another world. He wanted to stay away, drink his coffee in peace, but he was soon drawn back to Abby's hospital room. He was shocked (as shocked as Gibbs ever was) and hurt when she saw Shannon sitting by Abby's side as they laughed about something. It hurt that she did her best to distance herself from him, but then had no problem being friendly with Shannon.

"So, I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you asked Abby to stay with us and she declined."

Gibbs arched a brow. He loved his daughter, but it was odd having someone so similar to himself in his life.

Kelly didn't expect an answer. "You and mom need to talk and figure out what you want." Kelly pulled him further down the hallway. "You can't keep dragging Abby through all this. You can't keep dragging yourself through this mess either."

"Why does this bother you so much?"

"Since I first talked to Abby at the coffee shop. She's nice and I like her. She's been a good friend the short time I've known her."

"What'd she say?" He'd assumed it had been trivial stuff, but with the way Kelly shuffled uncomfortably, something fore had been said.

"It doesn't matter, you know how she feels. But you need to decide how you feel. If you and mom are going to stay together, then you need to let Abby go and realize that she won't be in your life the same way she was before – however that was. And if you decide Abby is the one you're meant to be with, then… stop stringing her along and tell her."

Gibbs frowned into his coffee as he processed what Kelly had to say. "I'm gonna go."

"Dad, wait."

"It's okay Kel, don't worry."

Kelly watched her dad walk down the long hospital corridor. She leaned back against the wall with a sigh. "What a mess."

0o0o0o0

TBC….


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve **

"Dad?" Kelly stood on the top of the steps and watched her father stare down at the sanding block in his hand. "Can I come down?"

"Of course, you don't have to ask."

Kelly worried her lower lip as she made her way down the stairs. "I'm sorry about earlier. I over-stepped a few boundaries, I think."

"It's okay, you don't need to apologize."

"Well," She shrugged. "I'm not sorry for what I said, I'm sorry that I said it while Abby was in the hospital and that you were really worried. I didn't need to add to the stress like that."

Gibbs opened his mouth to talk, but Kelly continued.

"It's just that I hate seeing you so… torn, you know? I just want you and mom happy."

"I am happy."

"I know, I know." Kelly sighed, but softened it with a smile. "You've got me back."

Gibbs returned the smile. "Sure do."

"Just think about what I said, okay?" Kelly hugged him and headed back up the steps.

"Where you headed?"

"Just upstairs. I'm going to call and check on Abby since I know you're too stubborn to do it and I know you're still worried."

0o0o0

"I can't sleep." Abby padded out to her living room on bare feet. Tony was lounging on her sofa, a football game on. It was early, but Tony insisted that she get some rest after the first two Bond movies they had watched.

"Head hurt?" Tony held his arm up so Abby could snuggle into his side.

"A little, but I just took some Tylenol. I just can't sleep."

"Still freaked out?" Tony pulled her in closer.

"A little."

"I'll call Gibbs." Tony picked her cell phone up off the coffee table

"Tony, no."

"Why? He's good at saying the right things. Remember when I had the plague? He always knew what to say to me to get me to settle down."

"I don't have the plague."

"He knew what to say when my car blew up."

"I know."

"I'm sure he would be over here before you could hang up if we called him. I know there is all this tension between you guys, but I'm sure that can be set aside for a day or two so he can comfort you. Let me just call him."

"If you at all value your life, you'll put the phone-" Abby was interrupted when her phone lit up and began ringing in Tony's hand.

"Wow, you weren't kidding! You and the boss really are connected." Tony held up the phone so Abby could see 'Gibbs' flashing on the screen.

"Tony, let me-"

Tony shook his head and answered. "Hey boss – oh, hey." He pushed up off the couch and quieted Abby's protest with a wave of his hand. "How're you?" Tony moved over to the window and turned to face Abby. "Yeah, she's doing fine. She'll be right out, uh huh, she was taking a shower, but I just heard the water turn off." Tony waved his hands again to keep Abby quiet. "So, how are things in the Gibbs' household? Oh yeah? That might be nice, but you'll have to ask her. Oh – hold on, I think she's… yeah, here she is." Tony grinned. "ABBY! Kelly is on the phone for you," he shouted.

Abby rolled her eyes and plucked the phone from his hand. "Kelly?" She listened to the youngest Gibbs' and made her way to her bedroom and shut the door to keep Tony from listening. They chatted ten minutes before Abby reappeared in her living room.

Tony smiled sweetly at her. "She ask you about coming over tomorrow?" Tony swung his feet back up on the coffee table.

"Yeah. I guess the whole team is invited."

"You said yes?"

"Yeah."

"You don't look thrilled with the idea."

"I know. I just…. As happy as I am for him, it kinda hurts to see him rebuilding his family." Abby confessed, her gaze dropping to the floor.

"You and Gibbs…. There was something there, wasn't there?"

"Yeah."

"What are you going to do?"

"Do? Nothing. I'll get over him eventually."

"Just like that? You'll get over him? Last I checked, getting over someone you love isn't quite that easy."

"Tony, its _Shannon_. If it were someone like Hollis, then I would put up a fight. But Shannon, she's pretty much the reason why none of his other relationships have worked. What makes me so sure that my relationship with him would have lasted? Even if she wasn't still alive."

"Because he's Gibbs and you're Abby. That's why."

"It sounds nice, Tony, but realistically? Come on."

Tony pulled her into his side and hugged her tightly. "I don't get how you can love him so much and let him go. You are a much better person than I am."

"I just want him happy, that's all."

"What about you being happy?"

"I've been in love with him since the day I started at NCIS nearly ten years ago. Another ten years of quietly wanting him won't kill me."

"You're crazy. If I didn't know better, I'd say you love the pain of wanting him and not having him more than the man himself." Tony grinned when her hand slapped the back of his head. "Ow, you slap harder than Gibbs."

"Good. Okay, I'm going to go lay back down. Thanks for the hugs, Tony." Abby leaned up to kiss his cheek and the headed back to bed.

0o0o0

Kelly was curled up on the sofa when Gibbs finally emerged from the basement just past mid-night. "You still up?"

"Yeah, I'm almost done with my book."

"It good?" Gibbs circled around the coffee table to sit beside her.

Kelly shrugged. "Yeah, a little predictable, but pretty good." Kelly waited until he brought up Abby's name before setting her book down and shifting to look at her dad.

"Abby's alright?"

"I'd have come to get you if she wasn't."

"I know."

"She's in good hands with Tony."

Gibbs nodded. He couldn't argue how much Tony cared for her.

"I invited them over tomorrow."

"Tony and Abby?"

"Um," Kelly shifted uncomfortably. "Actually, your whole team. I hope that's okay."

Gibbs was a little shocked, but he knew it was a good idea. Abby's brief stint in the hospital had been a wakeup call for all of them. Some time together outside of work would do them all good. "It's fine. What time are they coming over?"

"Around four."

Gibbs nodded.

"Alright, I think I'm going to try and get some sleep. See you in the morning." She stood up and then turned. "I love you, dad."

Gibbs stood and hugged her. "Love you too." He moved around, turning off lights and locking the door before heading upstairs. Shannon had gone to bed a few hours earlier after popping her head through the basement door to say goodnight. He watched her for a few minutes before moving through to the master bathroom.

As he stepped back into the bedroom he looked around the whole room. Shannon's suitcases were still open, the zippered flap propped against the wall, and she looked like a guest in his room. He pulled back the blankets and slipped his legs under.

"Night Shan." Gibbs whispered before closing his eyes. There was no response.

Although he fell asleep quickly, there was no relief associated with his sleep.

"_My name is Tess Martin, I'm an E.R. nurse at Bethesda and I have you listed as an emergency contact for Abigail Sciuto. Is that correct?"_

"_She okay?" Gibbs flew out of bed and reached for his jeans. "What happened?"_

"_There was a gang-related shooting downtown…I'm sorry sir, she didn't make it."_

_Gibbs gasped and it felt as though all the air was forced from his lungs. "She… she can't be gone."_

"_I'm sorry sir, there was nothing they could do."_

_Gibbs felt as though the world was coming to an end as he collapsed to the floor. _

"_Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!" The sound of Abby's clunky boots had him back on his feet. "Gibbs!"_

"_Abby?" He looked everywhere, trying to figure out where her voice was coming from. He moved room to room in his house, not noticing that it was now void of any furniture or personal touches. "Abby, where are you?"_

"_Gibbs! I need you. Save me! You have to save me!"_

_It wasn't until he made his way to the basement that he finally found her. She was lying on a table where the boat had been. She was bloodied and broken, and as he approached her could see her breaths coming in soft gasps. "Abbs…"_

"_You didn't save me, Gibbs. You didn't." He watched her choke as blood trickled from between her lips._

"_Abby, no. Don't leave me. You have to fight. You have to fight to stay here, stay with me. Please-"_

Gibbs shot up in bed, his heart pounding in his chest. The clock beside his bed read 5:36 and he could see the sun beginning to peak through the curtains. He tossed back the sheets and grabbed for clean clothes. He needed a hot shower to wash away the thoughts from his mind.

0o0o0

TBC…

Sorry about the slight delay. Some serious swooning going on over my first 'celebrity crush' (Clint Black) as he was in town Thursday night for a concert. More *hopefully* tomorrow!

*smooches*


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews. I enjoy each and every one of them. I can't thank you enough!**

**0o0o0**

Kelly busied herself in the kitchen the majority of the morning, making food for the team. She had persuaded her father to go with the grocery store, convinced he would know what his team would like. He had been tense when she first found him drinking coffee at the kitchen when she woke up, but as they circled the grocery store, he seemed to relax.

"I thought this was going to be a low-key get-together, not some big party?" Gibbs walked into the kitchen and surveyed all the different salads and side dishes Kelly had prepared to go with the hamburgers and chicken-burgers.

"I know, but I mean, we'll be nine people, so that's sort of a lot, and I want there to be a variety."

"My team isn't picky, and Tony will eat just about anything." He gave her shoulders a soft squeeze

"I figured that, about Tony."

"Anything I can do to help?" It looked as though everything was under control, but he thought he'd offer.

"Nah, I'm just about done. We won't need to do the hamburgers and the chicken until people get here, so-"

"You two done hogging the kitchen?"

Kelly and Gibbs shared a look and then both rolled their eyes playfully.

"Plenty of room in here for you too, mom. But uh, no offense, you aren't exactly kitchen friendly." Kelly smiled sweetly

"I was going to bake cookies, but if you'd rather I didn't…" Shannon shrugged and looked away to keep from laughing.

"No! Okay, plenty of room for you to make your cookies." She spun around to look at Gibbs. "She makes the best chocolate chip cookies."

"I remember." Gibbs smiled. "It's how she'd get me to do stuff around the house when we were first married. She'd bribe me with cookies."

0o0o0

Abby and Tony were the last to arrive, just behind Ducky, whom they followed inside. "Abigail! You look well rested." Ducky hugged her gently. "I suppose Anthony makes a wonderful and attentive nurse." Ducky pat him on the shoulder and smiled. "Lots of ice cream, I assume?"

"Isn't that what the doctor prescribed?" Tony joked.

"Tony just likes to take care of me when I'm sick or hurt because it gives him an excuse to eat a pint of ice cream." Abby rolled her eyes but leaned into him to show she was just teasing.

"It's a tough job, but someone has to do it." Tony grinned.

"I thought I heard you come in! How are you?" Kelly rounded the corner from the kitchen and pulled Abby into a hug. "How is your head?"

"I'm fine." Abby returned the hug and then stepped back, her fingers automatically reaching for the small lump on the side of her head. "I've still got a bit of a lump, but no headache this morning."

"I'm glad you're doing well." Kelly moved out of the way as Gibbs moved in front of Abby.

"You sure you're alright."

"Absolutely." Abby gave a sloppy salute, grinning when he rolled his eyes. "I'm just wondering if you're the one with a head injury. A party at your place? Never thought the day would come."

"It's not a party, it's a barbeque." Gibbs grumbled.

"Whatever you say, boss-man." Abby patted his chest gently and stepped past him to hug Ziva, McGee, Palmer, and Shannon.

The group eventually moved outside and the men gathered around the grill while the women sat down with a glass of ice tea to talk.

"Those burgers done yet?" Tony nudged McGee as he flipped the chicken on a second grill.

"I, uh… I'm not sure." McGee poked at one of the patties and shrugged.

"Oh c'mon McGoo, haven't you ever grilled before? It's part of becoming a man." Tony smiled and hit his palm against his chest a few times.

"Shut up Tony." McGee glared.

"How about that chicken, DiNozzo? It supposed to be that black?" Gibbs fought a smirk as he carried out a tray with buns to be toasted.

"Shit." Tony flipped the chicken and then glared at McGee when he started giggling. "Shut up, McTakeout."

"They don't play nicely, do they?" Kelly asked, leaning back in her chair.

"Depends on the day." Abby shrugged. "They love each other, they just don't want everyone else to know it."

"Abby!" Tony and McGee both snapped.

It was almost six by the time they were all sitting down with their food. "This is nice," Ziva smiled. She was finally starting to feel at home in D.C. and spending quality time with the time outside of work was just what she needed to feel like part of the NCIS family again.

"It is," Abby agreed. "Thanks for inviting us."

"I'm glad you could all come." Kelly pushed her food around on her plate. "It's nice to get to know you guys. And I'm happy you're okay."

Shannon watched quietly, noting the way the team interacted with each other and how Kelly subtly watched her father and his reaction to everything Abby said. She picked up on the chemistry between Tony and Ziva, how they teased each other with ease. She smiled at the way Palmer seemed so desperate to fit in; unaware at how the fondly everyone looked at him when he spoke. She noticed the look of care and concern in McGee's eyes each time he looked at Abby. _ There must've been something there once upon a time._ She laughed along with the rest of the team when Ducky told the same stories he had shared the day before in the hospital with Abby. She also watched the way Jethro almost refused to look away from Abby, only ever tearing his gaze away from her if he was directly spoken to.

"These cookies are amazing," Abby gushed. "I might need to take a few with me when I leave."

"Not if DiNozzo hasn't already finished them off before the evening is over."

"Hey!" Tony protested.

Ziva patted his stomach with a smirk on her face. "I think he's had enough."

"You people are cruel." Tony pouted as he took a second cookie.

"Thank you." Shannon was finally able to get a word in.

Once it got dark, and the food had been picked up, people were slowly getting ready to leave. Palmer was the first to go, followed closely by McGee. Ziva was next, and soon it was Shannon, Kelly and Ducky on the sofa, and Gibbs, Tony and Abby on dining room chairs that had been pulled in.

"Have you talked to the insurance people about your car?" Kelly asked.

Abby nodded. "Car is being held by the police as part of the investigation, but they had an insurance guy out looking at it, and I guess they are just calling it totaled. It hopefully won't be too long before I get a check, but I can get a rental tomorrow." Abby turned to Gibbs. "Have you heard anything about the shooter?"

Gibbs nodded. "Charged with murder, plead guilty. Should be open and shut."

"Will she have to testify?" Kelly asked.

"Nah, she didn't see anything, and since he's pleading guilty, it's more about figuring jail time." Gibbs answered. "But the police will want her to stick around just in case."

"I know the drill." Abby smiled. "I should get going though, well if you're ready Tony?"

"Yeah, of course." Tony stood and went for their jackets which he had hung up in the closet when they arrived.

"Can I talk to you a moment, Abbs?" Gibbs stood with them.

"Well I should be on my way as well," Ducky added. "Walk an old man to his car, Anthony?"

"Ducky, are you calling me old?"

"Oh, my dear boy." Ducky chuckled.

"Come on, let's get the dishwasher going." Shannon patted Kelly's knee and headed for the kitchen.

Gibbs waited until they were alone. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm fine. My head is a little tender if I touch it, but no headache."

"I saw photos of the car." Gibbs looked her over and thought a moment. "You're sure nothing else hurts? The insurance company wasn't kidding when they said the car was totaled."

"I was a little stiff this morning, but really, I'm okay."

Gibbs was about to step forward to hug her, when the front door opened. "Dad, are we out of – oh – sorry, I didn't realize… sorry."

"No, it's okay." Abby side-stepped Gibbs and pulled Kelly into a hug. "I had a good time tonight, thank you for inviting me. I'll give you a call tomorrow."

"Thanks again for coming. Talk to you tomorrow."

"Abby, you coming?" Tony was leaning against his car.

"I've got a head wound, Tony. Don't rush me." Abby turned to Gibbs with a wink. "Night Gibbs."

0o0o0

TBC…

Getting close to the end!


	14. Chapter 14

**Goodness, I'm awful at replying to reviews these days – I'm so, so sorry. Things have just been crazy busy, so I've picked to update rather than reply. Sorry, sorry, sorry.**

**0o0**

"You're in love with her, aren't you?"

Gibbs lifted his head from his hands to look at Shannon as she circled the coffee table to sit beside him on the couch.

"You called out her name last night. You were having what I assume was a nightmare. I tried to wake you, but all you said was 'don't leave me'. Since you had called out for her before, I assume you meant Abby."

"Sorry." Gibbs gave a little shrug. He was tired of fighting his feelings.

"Jethro, it's been nearly 20 years since we were a happy married couple. I wasn't expecting to even have the chance to give _us_ a second chance. But after twenty years, we're not the same people we used to be, no matter how much we try."

Gibbs started to protest that he hadn't changed a bit (save for the grey, no, silver hair), but he couldn't deny that NCIS hadn't changed him – but only a little.

"I love you Jethro, I always will, but we're not _in love_ like we used to be. You don't look at me the way you look at her now."

Pulling her against him, Gibbs kissed her temple. "I wish things were different."

"It certainly would be easier, wouldn't it? But we have to do what's right for everyone. We'll always be family, we've got a daughter together. That will never change."

"I… Thank you for coming back to me. You could have just as easily gone on with your new life."

"I couldn't keep Kelly from you, even if I had wanted to."

Gibbs thought a moment. "If we're not… you aren't going back to Portland, are you?"

"I meant what I said about being family, I would like to stay a part of your life – assuming that it isn't too awkward for Abby. Kelly and I are likely headed to Portland next week to pack up our house and bring our stuff back to D.C."

"How long will you be gone?"

"We haven't booked our flights yet. Kelly will fly back sooner. I… I was thinking of asking Tom to help drive the truck with our stuff back across the country."

"Tom, huh?" He couldn't say he was surprised.

Shannon smiled at him. "I'm relearning how to be Shannon again. I'm not ready to start something serious just yet, but Tom has been a good friend."

"Guess it's a good thing I didn't put my fist in his face then, huh?"

"Jethro." Shannon tried not to smile.

"Where did we go wrong?" Gibbs sighed.

"We didn't. What happened, it was out of our control. You know that."

"Yeah." It didn't mean he had to like it.

"You should go to her."

"What about Kelly? We should talk to her."

"I think she was asleep the minute her head hit the pillow. She was so busy today getting ready for dinner with your team. She really wants them to like her. She knows how much they all mean to you."

"She's got nothing to worry about."

"But anyway, you can talk to her tomorrow. Abby needs you, go to her."

0o0o0

Abby slid between the sheets with a heavy sigh. Her body was still tense from the crash, and spending the day with her team, Gibbs and his family, though fun, had been exhausting.

She was glad when sleep came quickly. Even if she couldn't have him in real life, dream-Gibbs came to her often and, for now, that was enough.

Dream-Gibbs was a bit more chatty than real-Gibbs, always vocal about just how much he loved her. But in case his words weren't clear, dream-Gibbs always used his hands to confirm his love – just in case. She sighed happily as dream-Gibbs appeared. She knew she was dream, she always did, but it didn't stop her from enjoying her time with him. She was somewhere between being awake and her dream - dream-Gibbs sitting on the edge of the bed closest to her, smiling down at her as she stroked her hair softly – when she felt the bed dip on the far side of the bed.

Groggily she lifted her head to peer over her shoulder. She expected to see the soft glow of her alarm clock, but when she saw a Gibbs-shaped outline, she startled.

Gibbs wasn't fast enough as she flailed, her attempt to roll over ending in her slipping off the bed and landing on the floor with a thud. The fact that her legs had been tangled in the sheets slowed her fall considerably.

"Gibbs?"

Gibbs moved around the bed and looked down at her sprawled out on the floor. "You okay?"

She rubbed her hip as Gibbs pulled her to her feet. She wasn't hurt, but suddenly the fall seemed like a big deal and she tried hard not to cry. "Yeah, only my ego that bruised." She glanced over at the clock. "It's late, why are you here? Is everything okay? Did we catch a case?"

Gibbs pulled the blankets back up on the bed and held them up, ushering her back into bed. "No case." Once she was settled, he sat beside her – the same place dream-Gibbs had been – and ran his fingers gently along her cheek.

"Gibbs, you're scaring me."

"Scaring you?" He frowned. Wasn't exactly what he'd had planned.

"Yeah, I mean, you show up at my place, it's late, really late, we don't have a case, I-"

"I wanted to see you."

"Gibbs… don't." Abby sighed. She let her head fall back on her pillow and squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears not to fall. "You can't do this to me."

"Don't cry, Abbs. Please."

"I can't… I can't do this." Suddenly she found herself being pulled up into a seated position, Gibbs cradling her against his chest. "I just want you to be happy, it's all I ever wanted, and I'm happy for you," she sobbed against his chest, "but I can't do this, I need time away, I need time to un-love you."

Gibbs let her cry, rubbing her back and stroking her hair softly. "Do you really think you need to go away?"

Abby pulled out of his arms to lay back against her pillow and nodded. "Gibbs, I really like your family and I do want to get to know them better, but I just… just need time to forget about… us." She tired to ignore the look of hurt on Gibbs' face.

"What if I don't want you to forget about us?"

Abby opened her mouth to protest, but Gibbs stopped her with a finger to her lips.

"Having my daughter back in my arms again will forever be the happiest moment in my life. And Shannon… we're… we're family, that'll never change. But eighteen years is a long time."

"Exactly, you've waited eighteen years for her. I don't want you to worry about me, I'll be okay."

"No, I waited eighteen years for Shannon, the wife I had before they were taken away from me. I wanted _that_ life back. SO much had changed; I have a 26 year old daughter now." He smiled at that. As much as he missed his 'little' girl, he couldn't be happier to have his grown up girl. "I will always love Shannon-"

"I know."

"Abby, stop."

"Stop what?"

"Interrupting."

"Sorry."

"I'll always love her, she's part of my family, but we're not _in_ love anymore. I love you, Abbs. I can't just forget about us and where things were headed before… everything."

"Where were we headed?"

"I'm not sure, but wherever it was, it was good."

"So now what?"

"I'd really like to kiss you."

"God, you're just like dream-Gibbs." Much like dream-Gibbs, real Gibbs had used more words in the past five minutes than he usually did all day.

"Dream Gibbs?" He arched a brow.

"Never mind." Abby blushed, she hadn't meant to say it out loud. "Are... are you sure?" Pushing herself back up to a seated position, Abby was suddenly unsure if she was really awake, or if it was a cruel dream.

"I'm sure." Gibbs tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He gave her an extra few seconds to back out, his eyes darting from her lips to her eyes and back again.

He met little to no resistance, only heard the sound of a happy sigh as Abby melted against him.

Their kiss was chaste at first, it taking Abby a few moments to open up to his advances.

But as soon as she began to run her fingers through his hair, Gibbs slipped his hand around to slip under her nightshirt, his thumb sweeping back and forth over her spine.

Abby shivered at the warmth of his palm as it swept across her back, pressing herself further into his arms, never quite feeling like she was close enough. She allowed him to press her back into the mattress, waiting patiently as he kicked off his shoes and pulled his sweatshirt over his head. Gibbs ran his fingers up and down her arms as he pressed kisses to her lips, cheeks, eyelids and nose.

"Gibbs, wait."

Gibbs pulled away and looked down at her, tracing his finger along her cheek.

"We… I just want to take this, us, slow, okay? Because, I need to be sure this is what you really want, and that you're just not freaked out about the car accident. I can't… I can't _have _you and then lose you."

"Hey," Gibbs rolled over her, using his body weight to keep her pinned to the mattress. "The accident was a wake-up call, that's all. But we'll take this, us, at whatever pace you're comfortable with." He dipped his head and kissed her gently. "But let me stay here with you tonight."

Abby sighed happily as she curled around him once he moved off of her. "Stay."

Gibbs pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Sleep."

0o0o0

TBC…


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you all again for the wonderful reviews. I'm so grateful for each and every one of them. **

**Chapter Fifteen**

Abby woke with a start. She reached out for Gibbs, but her hand met cold sheets. _Oh God, he thinks it was a mistake. _She listened for sounds of him moving around her apartment – the kitchen, the bathroom, anywhere, but heard nothing. Pushing the blankets aside, Abby grabber for her robe and headed for the kitchen. _Maybe he's quietly drinking coffee in the kitchen._

The coffee was made, and Gibbs' mug was on her dining table, but there was still no Gibbs.

Abby wrapped her arms around her middle and hugged herself tightly. She should have known Gibbs would wake up and realize his mistake, but she didn't think it would make it any easier if she had known he'd regret it ahead of time. They hadn't even done anything and she felt her heart breaking into a million pieces.

Suddenly she heard the front door open and she turned in time to see Gibbs step in, a silly grin on his face. "That little old Mrs. Kaplan sure likes to talk. I think she-" Gibbs kicked the door shut behind him. "Abbs? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I thought you left." Abby caught her lower lips between her teeth and willed herself not to cry.

"I didn't think you'd be up for awhile, so I went downstairs to get the newspaper." Gibbs tossed the paper aside and walked up to Abby, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "I'm not going anywhere."

Abby nodded and pressed her face to his neck. "Can we go lay down again? You can bring your coffee and the newspaper."

"Sure." Gibbs gave her a quick kiss and then reached for the newspaper and then his coffee. "I can't spend the whole day in bed though. I need… I still need to talk to Kelly. About us."

"Oh. Okay. It's fine. I've got plans with the nuns later this afternoon."

"Hey," Gibbs tucked the paper under his arm and used his free hand to grab Abby's. "She'll be happy for us."

Abby allowed him to lead her back to bed. Gibbs sat with his back against the headboard with Abby curled up, her head resting on his lap. The newspaper sat untouched on the bedside table as Gibbs was content to stroke her hair and watch her as she rested.

"Abbs?" He ran a gentle finger along her cheek.

"Hmmm?"

"I just need to be clear that although you and I are together, Shannon will always be a part of my life. She's the mother of my daughter and so," he thought for a moment, "she'll be around."

"I know."

"I don't want you to worry, though. I care about her, but we're not in love. I need you to know that. I need you to understand."

Abby sat up and turned to face him. "I can't promise that the idea that you've changed your mind, that you want her again, won't go through my head, but I know you'd never…. You just have to promise me that if you do want out, if you do want to be with her again, you have to say something. I don't want you trying to stick it out with me because you don't want to hurt my feelings. I just want you happy."

"I want you."

Abby leaned in to kiss him. "And I want you. So I don't think we'll have a problem."

0o0o0

Abby fidgeted nervously in her lab Monday morning. It was Gibbs first day back at NCIS, and she knew it would be long until he made his way down. She had seen him the previous morning, but had spent the afternoon and evening with the nuns, so they had spent the night apart.

Gibbs had reassured her (multiple times) that Shannon had moved her things to the guest room across the hall, but a part of her still worried that Shannon would change her mind and want to try for the happy family life.

Abby startled when a strong arm wrapped around her waist and a Caf-Pow! was set down in front of her. "Jesus, Gibbs. I'm going to start laying bubble wrap in front of the doors again if you're going to sneak up on me like that."

"You okay?" Gibbs ignored the bubble wrap comment. "You looked deep in thought."

"Yeah, just bored. I'm running updates on my computers because no one has any open cases. I mean, I don't want anyone to die, but…"

"Tony said the last few days the past week were like this. He's driving me nuts upstairs and I've only been in an hour."

"Took you an hour to come see me?" Abby pouted.

"There was a mountain of paperwork on my desk."

"I tried to stack the papers neatly for you." Abby's frown turned into a smile. She'd been in before everyone else, and had tried to make his desk look presentable.

"I noticed. Thanks."

"And, um, I was wondering if you wanted to come over tonight. That is, if you don't already have plans?"

"I'm taking Shannon and Kelly to the airport, but I could swing by afterward and we could grab dinner?"

"I'd like that."

"Good." Gibbs kissed her cheek. "I'll pick you up around seven."

"I can't wait!"

The rest of the day went by slowly for the entire team. While Gibbs and his team kept busy with cold cases, Abby spent the majority of her day with Ducky, drinking tea and talking. He didn't mention anything about Gibbs and Abby kept her mouth shut on the topic. She was fairly certain he knew something had happened between them, but she preferred to keep quiet about it for now.

By the time seven o'clock rolled around, Abby had showered and changed and had been waiting anxiously for Gibbs to arrive. _ What if saying goodbye to them at the airport, even if it was were just for a week or so, had been a wakeup call and he couldn't do it? Stop Abby, stop doing this to yourself. He told you he wasn't going anywhere, Gibbs doesn't say shit he doesn't mean. But what if-_

The downstairs buzzer brought her out of her thoughts and she buzzed him in immediately.

"You look good," he said when she answered the door, and Abby felt her earlier thoughts float away. She blushed when he gave her a predatory once-over and then stepped past her. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, I just need to grab my jacket." Abby disappeared down the hall to her bedroom.

"Grab anything else you'll need tonight and a change of clothes for tomorrow. Let's go back to my place after dinner." Gibbs listened for a response. "You could help me with our boat."

"I'd like that," he heard her call, and a few minutes later she appeared with an overnight bag in one hand, her jacket in the other.

She was just about to step past him when his arm snaked out to wrap around waist and pull her in close. He leaned in to kiss her softly and then let her go again without a word.

0o0o0

Halfway through dinner, Abby realized that although the status of their relationship had changed, nothing else had. Gibbs still let her ramble on about things he didn't quite understand (her babies, her music) and they talked about the things he did understand (the nuns, his boat).

Abby asked cautiously about Shannon and Kelly. "Was it hard to drop them off and watch them go back to Portland, even if it's just for a short time?"

"I think I will always worry that whenever they go somewhere, whether it's to the grocery store or to Portland, it'll be the last time I see them." Gibbs sipped his coffee.

"It's understandable."

"I worry the same about you, Abbs. Every time I walk out of your lab, or watch you drive away from my house…"

Abby smiled softly at him. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You don't know that. You could have been seriously hurt or even killed the other night."

"It's out of our control, but Gibbs? Can we… can we not talk about it tonight?"

"Okay." Gibbs downed the last of his coffee. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah."

0o0o0

Back at his house, Gibbs carried her stuff upstairs and they both changed into something more comfortable to wear while working on the boat. Sneaking one of his old shirts, Abby moved to the bathroom to change.

Gibbs was waiting for her when she opened the bathroom door, and he led her by the hand to the basement.

Although she had seen it before, she was still shocked when she saw her name in elegant black letters on the boat.

"What?" Gibbs nudged her softly.

She didn't realize that she had stopped and was staring until Gibbs had interrupted her thoughts. "Oh, nothing. I still can't believe you'd put my name on a boat."

"I like it." Gibbs gave her hand a squeeze and moved away. "It suits her. She wasn't the easiest to work with in the beginning, but…"

"Are you calling me difficult?"

"Nope. The boat. But she's come along nicely, and she's sure to be the most beautiful one in the marina once she gets there."

Abby smiled, but it soon faded. "But I had to take apart 'The Kelly'."

"You still thinking about that? Abbs, you had to take it apart, you didn't have a choice. And you helped me put her back together. You know she's back in Mexico, as good as new."

"I know, I just hated to have to take her apart."

"Don't blame yourself. That was because Franks was pissing people off."

"True. So, you'll take me sailing on her?" The fact that he had earlier called it 'their' boat hadn't slipped past her.

"Of course. It's our boat. I expect we'll be spending lots of time on her."

In the end, there wasn't much Abby could help with, but she was content to sit back and watch as he worked on some of the more intricate details.

As her commentary slowed and then came to a stop, Gibbs turned to look at her and see what was keeping her occupied. He expected her to be lost in thought, but instead she had found one of the toys he had made with his father. They hadn't had time to finish painting it, so he had set it aside to finish later.

He smiled at the intense look of concentration on her face as she painted a detailed design on the side of the small wooden rocking horse. He loved the way her tongue peeked out from between her lips as she focused, and her nose scrunched up when she almost messed up.

Gibbs sat his tools aside and moved closer, though he said nothing.

"There! Look at what I – _Oh!_" She was surprised to see him standing right in front of her. "If you don't like it, I can paint over it again. It was fun to paint though."

"It's beautiful." Gibbs took it from her hands and examined it more closely. "Like you."

"Giiiibbs…" she drew out his name.

Gibbs set it aside and stepped closer until he was standing between her knees. He rested his palms on the work bench on either side of her hips and leaned in to kiss the side of her neck. "You can call me Jethro, you know."

"I know," Abby giggled when his lips ghosted over her tattoo. "I just… you've always been Gibbs."

"Whatever you want, I just thought I'd let you know."

"Well, I'd prefer to call you my silver fox, but I think you might not approve if we're in the middle of a tough case, or if the director is around, or – ow!"

Gibbs ran his tongue over the spot he'd nipped. "Don't even think about it."

"I might think about it, but I can keep my mouth shut… most of the time." She smiled when she felt his lips curl into a smile against her skin.

0o0o0

TBC…

Only a chapter or two left. Let me know if there is anything you want to see before I wrap it all up!


	16. Chapter 16

**So I'm supposed to warn for either sex or char. Death right here, but I just can't remember which it is… hmm.**

"Come on; let's go up for the night. It's getting late." Gibbs kissed her quickly and turned to put his tools away. He set the newly painted plane up on the shelf and then turned to take Abby's hand and lead her up the stairs. Once they left the basement, they headed in separate directions. Abby headed upstairs to begin her bedtime routine, washing her face, brushing her teeth and changing into her PJ's. Gibbs first headed to the kitchen to ready the coffee maker for when it automatically started at 6 am. He then checked that both the front and back doors were locked before he finally headed up the stairs after switching off the last of the lights.

Abby was just crawling in bed by the time Gibbs made it up the stairs. He hurried through his nighttime routine, eager to join her in bed, even if all they were going to do was sleep. He longed to get to know her more intimately, to feel her under his hands, but at the same time he understood why she was worried. There was nothing for her to worry about, but at the same time he couldn't blame her. The past 18 years of his life, the entire time that he'd know her, he'd lived his life mourning his wife and daughter. Holding her close the entire night would have to do until she was ready to move further.

Gibbs sat on the edge of the bed with a soft sigh and tugged his shirt overhead after pulling his sweats off, stripping down to just his boxers.

"It's weird."

"What is?" Gibbs put his arm out until Abby snuggled up to him.

"Being in your bed, with you. Every other time I've spent the night it's been in the guest room. Except that one time, but I was drunk and then you were a gentleman and slept in the guestroom."

"I'd rather you didn't sleep in the guest room anymore, but if that's what you want…."

"No, no, no." Abby snuggled closer. "I just never really imagined that it'd be possible that you'd want me. Well, until a few weeks ago, and then… well yeah, but now that I'm finally here and it's just all so surreal and I feel like I could wake up at any moment and-"

Gibbs leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, cutting off her mini-rant with a kiss. "You're in my bed. Get used to it."

"Oooh," Abby kissed his chin. "I like that idea, getting used to it. I like it a lot."

"Night, Abbs."

"I'm not sleepy."

"You will be when you wake up with only a few hours of sleep."

"True." Abby snuggled in closer, tucking her head under his chin. "But I can always nap on my futon while I wait for results."

"Sleeping on the job?"

"Yep." Abby kissed his collar bone. "Good thing no one is brave enough to say anything, and my boss is pretty chill about stuff like that."

Gibbs grinned into the darkness. "Oh is he?"

"He is." Abby continued with the kisses until Gibbs shifted.

"Abbs."

"Hmm?"

"As much as I love the kisses…"

"Dangerous territory?"

"Uh huh."

Abby kissed him one last time and then pulled back. It was difficult to see him through the dark with his back towards the window and the soft moonlight, but she could see the basic outline of his face, so she reached up and ran her fingers lightly along his cheek, his jaw, sighing happily when he turned his head to kiss her palm. "I really love you."

"Love you too, Abbs."

Abby let her fingers continue down his neck and out over his shoulders and down his arms. Her fingers wandered up his chest and she was surprised that he stayed so still, allowing her quiet exploration. She had always known him to be a man of action and assumed he'd be the same way in bed.

"_I just want to take this, us, slow, okay? Because, I need to be sure this is what you really want, and that you're just not freaked out about the car accident. I can't… I can't have you and then lose you." _

Abby thought about what she said, and knew that it was likely because of that, that he was staying so still. He respected what she had asked of him, and that was part of what she loved so much about him. He took what she said seriously, unlike others who called her childish due to her wardrobe, and treated her accordingly.

She linked her fingers with his and pulled herself closer; kissing his chest, up along his neck, across his jaw to his lips. He returned the kiss instantly, but it took a few minutes before he let his hands move to her body.

He memorized every curve of her body as he finally allowed his hands to explore. He didn't know how far Abby was willing to go, so he took things slow, and instead of urging her further, he took his time to enjoy what she offered. He nipped gently at her fingers as they traced the features of his face, smiling when he caused her to giggle.

Pulling his face back to hers, Abby kissed him and rolled back, pulling him over her.

"Ah – Abbs," Gibbs panted between kisses. "We need to slow this down if you want to-"

"But I don't want to wait, not anymore. I need you, Gibbs. I _need _you!" Abby pressed up against him. "I've always needed you."

"I'm here. Right here, Abbs." He brushed her bangs back before covering her face with soft kisses. "Right here."

Abby pushed him to his back and then straddled his hips. It was easier to see his face when he was on his back, before his back had been to the window, blocking the bit of moonlight, but now she could see him and the look of love and pleasure on his face put butterflies in her stomach. She watched as lust clouded his eyes as she pulled her sleep-shirt over her head and tossed it aside, not caring where it landed.

The combination of his hands, hot on her skin as he gripped her waist, and his lustful gaze as his eyes wandered over her body was almost too much and Abby dropped forward to snuggle against him, pressing her bare chest to his.

Gibbs ran his fingers up and down her back, tracing along her spine and at the same time pulling her closer, unable to get enough. Sliding his hands down, he slipped his hands under her shorts and underwear, cupping her ass gently. It urged her into kissing him harder and he took that as the okay to slowly work her shorts and underwear down her legs.

Abby rolled off of him as she watched her undergarments go flying across the darkened bedroom. She pressed her lips to his again as he worked his own shorts off and sent them in the same direction. "_Giiiibbs_," Abby encouraged again. "I need-" her plea was cut off when Gibbs plunged his fingers between her thighs.

Gibbs smiled at the moan that ripped from her throat and he moved closer to nibble along her shoulder, up along her neck and back to her lips.

When she turned her head away from him to cry out, he moved his fingers faster, pressing his thumb to her clit. "Let it go, Abbs," Gibbs encouraged. He still felt as though she was holding back, unsure if he really wanted her over Shannon and he had to make her realize that he had made his choice and she was it.

As he watched her come down from her high, he pulled her in close, ignoring his own need for release, and murmured reassurances against her damp skin.

Once she caught her breath, Abby turned in the circle of his arms and covered his chest with kisses in lieu of a thank you. His breath hitched in his throat when her hands ran down his stomach and wrapped firmly aro  
und him. He tilted her face up to his, making eye contact as she stroked him before leaning down for kiss.

He didn't allow her finish him off; he let her bring him right to the edge before pushing her hands away, and rolling her to her back.

They were a fumble of movements and heavy breaths, and the moment that Gibbs finally entered her, Abby cried out in both pleasure and with emotion at finally being with the man she'd always wanted.

"Gibbs," Abby murmured. "Love you. So much."

Gibbs groaned as she wrapped herself around him, tilting her hips to welcome him deeper. They took their time touching every inch of reachable skin; kissing and nibbling and caressing.

By the end of the night, Abby was unsure of the orgasm deficit, but Gibbs seemed to be more than satisfied. And when he pulled her close, nuzzled against her neck and whispered that he loved her, she knew everything was the way it supposed to be.

TBC….

One (probably larger) chapter left.


	17. Chapter 17

Abby twisted her fingers nervously as she waited for Gibbs, Shannon and Kelly to arrive at the bowling alley.

"They'll be here." Sister Rosita sat beside her. "All three, right?"

"Yes, and I know, Kelly really enjoyed bowling last time and even though he won't admit it, Gibbs enjoys it too. It's just that it's the first time I'm seeing Shannon and Kelly since Gibbs and I…" Abby trailed off.

"I understand," Rosita gave her a knowing look and patted her knee. "Oh! I see Jethro over at the shoe rental counter."

Abby turned in her chair to look. Gibbs was paying for shoe rental and Abby couldn't help but think that they looked like the picture perfect family. _No, Abby._ She told herself. _He wants you._

Rosita waved the trio over and took hold of Gibbs' arm before he could move to Abby. "Oh Jethro, so wonderful to have you bowling with us again. You'll be on my team and we'll put the three lovely ladies with Sister Margaret.

Abby leaned closer to Shannon and Kelly."If you have anything to say to him, now would be the time. Once Rosita gets a hold of him, he's hers until bowling is over." Abby smiled at Gibbs, who almost looked defeated as the nun clung tightly to his arm.

"Well, if I saw him more often," Rosita gave his a pointed look, "I might not feel the need to hog his attention when I do see him."

Abby held up her hands in mock surrender. "Hey, fair is fair, I'm not complaining."

"So you must be Shannon. Wonderful to meet you." Rosita let go long enough to shake Shannon's hand before grabbing hold of his arm again.

"Likewise." Shannon smiled.

As soon as Gibbs was pulled away, Sister Margaret swooped in. "How lovely you all are this evening. If we can't win tonight, at least we know we could win a beauty contest."

Abby tried not to laugh when she noticed that Margaret's dentures were slightly crooked. She loved Margaret. She was a plump old woman, older than the rest of the nuns, but she was still able to bowl (quite well) and her mind was sharp as ever.

Bowling got started rather quickly after a few practice rounds, three teams of four competing in a mini-tournament.

Abby smiled when Shannon bowled a strike and then high-fived Kelly before sitting beside Abby. "Great job! The winning team doesn't have to pay for the celebratory sundaes afterward."

Shannon grinned. "I hope Sister Rosita isn't let down when they don't win. Jethro is good, but not that good."

"I don't think she'll mind all that much," Abby laughed. "He usually pays for her sundae anyway."

"Purchasing his freedom, eh?"

"Something like that."

They were silent a moment until Shannon cleared her throat. "Look, Abby…. I want you to know that I've started looking for a place to live. I won't be stay with Jethro much longer."

"Oh, um, don't feel like you need to hurry or something. I mean…."

"Well, it can't be comfortable having an ex-wife-"

Abby stopped her. "Don't call yourself and ex-wife. Don't lump yourself in with those women. You're not… one of them. You're family."

"Well, in any case. I understand you and Jethro are trying to… I just don't want to be in the way. I'm happy for you, both of you, and I don't want you to think you need to stay away from the house while I'm there."

"Oh I don't, it's not…"

"Abby! You're up!"

Abby was glad for the interruption.

0o0o0

In the end, it was the third team that won.

"I guess it doesn't matter that we didn't win. We still get ice cream." Kelly sat beside her father, setting her ice cream bowl and a pile of napkins down on the table.

"That's my girl," Shannon shook her head. "Always in it for the ice cream."

"Could be worse," Gibbs added. "Could be drugs."

They all laughed and then turned their attention to their ice cream. As they finished up their ice cream, Kelly spoke up. "So Abby, I was thinking. Want to do dinner tonight?"

"I've got steaks in the freezer I could pull out." Gibbs offered.

"I, uh, was thinking just Abby and I."

"Oh."

Abby bit her lip to keep from laughing at the expression on Gibbs' face.

"Sorry dad." Kelly shrugged.

"I want to go home and change, but then I'll pick you up and we can go grab a bite somewhere. That okay?"

"Sounds good."

Abby wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "Alright, I'm going to head out. By the time I get home, change and get back to your house, it'll probably be an hour or so."

"I'll be ready." Kelly smiled.

When Abby stood to leave, Gibbs excused himself to walk her to her car and ignored Kelly's whisper of 'aww, that's so cute' as he grabbed her hand. They walked hand-in-hand to Abby's car and as soon as they were beside it, Gibbs spun her around and had her pressed firmly against it. "I was going to kiss you earlier, but then Rosita…"

"As much as I love you, I'm not getting between the two of you. She's pretty tough."

Gibbs grinned at her. "Your care and concern for my safety is overwhelming."

"You're safest with her, really. She won't let anyone near enough to hurt you."

"Mmmhmm." Gibbs leaned forward to kiss her. He nipped at her lower lip and then pulled away when she tried to press into his kiss. "I'm coming home with you tonight when you drop Kelly off, okay?"

"Oh you are, are you?" They'd spent the past two nights apart since Shannon had come back and Gibbs had been busy helping to unload the truck of her and Kelly's stuff. "I might have room for you in my bed."

"Might?"

"I've always got room for you in my bed, you know that." Abby pressed up on her toes to kiss him one last time. "I'm off. See you later."

0o0o0

Kelly and Abby sat in Abby's care in Gibbs' driveway, the engine idling. "I had a great time, we should do it again sometime," Abby smiled.

"Agreed. And uh," Kelly shifted in her seat. "I know my mom is find a new place, but I'm not quite ready to leave my dad yet. I hope that's okay. I'm really glad you guys are together and I'll stay out of your way, I just…."

"Hey, it's fine." Abby reached out and put her hand on Kelly's arm. "I don't want you to feel like you need to move out for my sake, okay?"

Kelly looked visibly relieved at Abby's words. "And please, just come over whenever, like you usually would And if you want to spend the night," Kelly grinned, "don't feel like you can't. I just ask that you give me a head start at falling asleep if you guys are gonna-"

"Kelly!" Abby gasped.

"What? I'm not ten. And remember our first conversation at the coffee shop? I know how much you want that silver fox of yours." Kelly batted her eyelashes.

"Get out of my car," Abby laughed.

They both laughed loudly as they made their way up the front step. Kelly was just reaching for the door handle when the door opened and Gibbs was standing there with a quizzical expression on his face. "Thought you two were gonna spend the night in the driveway."

"She was giving me the 'hurt my dad and I'll hurt you' speech." Abby managed to keep from smiling.

"What?" Kelly paled. "I did not. Abby!"

Abby cracked a silly grin and Gibbs chuckled. "A word of advice, Kel. Don't ever play poker with Abby. You'll never win."

Kelly tired to pout but she only ended up laughing. "You two are mean and deserve each other. Where's mom?"

"She should be home before too long. She's having dinner with Tom. Want us to wait until she's back?"

"No, no. You guys don't need to stay. I'm not ten," she gave Abby a sideways glance. "I'll be fine alone."

0o0o0

(several months later)

Gibbs looked around his dining room and realized how right everything felt. He was sitting at the head of the table, his father at the opposite end. He looked to right where Abby, Shannon, Tom, McGee and Palmer were seated. To his left sat Kelly, Tony, Ziva, Joann and Ducky.

There were one or two people at the table he could have done without, but like all families there were bound to be family member you didn't always agree with. He could live with that.

It had been years since his first family Thanksgiving with Shannon and Kelly. Kelly had been a chubby baby at the time, passed around from family member to family member while he and Shannon had shared loving glances.

But Kelly was no longer a chubby baby and Shannon was sharing glanced with someone else. Things were different for him too. He had Abby, her hand resting warmly over his. They made eye contact and she smiled at him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze before letting go to take the wine Shannon was passing her.

Gibbs loved the way his two families blended together. His NCIS family had stepped up to carry extra work so he could get out of the office at a decent hour, especially the first few weeks. And Shannon and Kelly had been beyond understanding when it came to his NCIS family. They had been the only constant in his life the past ten years, and it had been semi-obvious that they needed reassurance that he wasn't abandoning them. He hadn't been surprised that Tony had needed the most reassurance after everything he'd gone through with his father and Gibbs was well aware that Tony looked to him for guidance.

The rest of his team had been weary at first, eager to pick up extra paper work hoping that their extra effort would keep him around. But soon McGee and Ziva had become comfortable with the more relaxed Gibbs.

Ducky had been the least worried. After getting to know both Shannon and Kelly he'd had no fear that Jethro would leave NCIS and if he did, he wouldn't be running to Mexico.

Abby had been the person he had been most concerned about, but he hadn't expected that she and Kelly would become such good friends so quickly. But that was Abby. She liked almost everyone. The first few weeks had been tough, scary almost, as he worried he'd left their relationship up in the air too long, but once things has settled down, Abby had welcomed both Shannon and Kelly into her life and things remained tension free – though he assumed it was helped along by the fact that Shannon and Tom had been seeing more and more of each other.

He had to admit, it had been harder than he expected to see Shannon with Tom. But it got easier the better he got to know Tom, and when he saw that Shannon was just as happy as he was.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Abby grabbed his hand again. "You look happy. Really, truly happy."

"I am."

Full circle, he decided. He had loved, lost and finally loved again. His life had come full circle.

The End.

Okay, not as long as I had thought, but I hope you all enjoyed it none-the-less. I swore I'd never write Shannon alive, but this bunny just wouldn't leave me alone.

I've got another fic (that I started before this one) dealing with the end of season seven. I really hope to get the first chapter or two up before the new season begins, but we'll see. I just don't want the new season to influence me, so hopefully I'll get lots of writing done in the next week.

But enough of my blabbering. I sincerely hope you've enjoyed this fic. Much love!


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